Trina's Return
by Nature9000
Summary: Twenty years after leaving her family behind and joining the CSI field in Vegas and forming a family herself, a case of a serial killer leads Trina back home where she must contend with thoughts of her past. Try as she might, it seems as though destiny continually deals the cards forcing her to eventually face those she left so long ago.
1. Twenty Years Later

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N: This is the much coveted continuation/sequel of "Trina's Song". It takes place several years later. Trina, a grown and married woman now, investigating a case of a serial killer is led back to LA where she wrestles the concept of seeing the family she left behind.

A/N: Also, I was going to write another prequel second chapter of Trina's Song showing Tori in college, but I didn't want to get too dark. But there are a lot of things that it reveals that this will reveal as time goes on.

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Chapter 1 (Twenty Years Later)

Inside an interrogation room with only a table and chairs surrounded by four walls and a observation window, three people sat with each other. A man with cotton white black hair and thick brimmed glasses and an aged expression sat beside a woman with a fiery gaze and her lips tucked into a sharp smirk. She had feathery brown hair with honey highlights, broadened shoulders covered by her blue sweater with long sleeves.

Straight across from them was a man with shaggy brown hair and eyes that darted from side to side. He was beginning to sweat under pressure, his hands trembling and his body twitching. Confident, the forty year old woman looked from her old mentor, to the nervous man. "So why'd you do it?"

"I keep telling you, I _didn't _kill my brother."

"That's what you keep saying." She removed a bag from the top of the stool beside her, it was the victim's watch. They found it after returning to the scene of the crime on a hunch, it had been thrown in a nearby trash can. It had a bloody fingerprint on it. Greg Sanders analyzed the blood and it came out to belong to the suspect. She saw the man's eyes widen and freeze upon the watch. "Here's what I think, Mr. Cleaver." She tossed the watch on the table, making him jump and whimper.

Her eyes narrowed boldly on the man as her mentor, DB Russell watched proudly. It had been twenty years now, she would have thought he'd retire by now, but another case they were working was keeping him on the job. After all, Jim Brass and Doc Robbins retired long ago. Nick Stokes, Sara Sidle, Greg Sanders, CSI Finlay and Morgan Brody were all still on the job. Finlay was looking to retire whenever Russell did. David Hodges had left some time ago.

"I think you got jealous of your brother. Ryan was the prodigal son of the family. He was the one who played college baseball, he was the straight-A student, he was the one gathering all the popularity while _you_ were sitting on the sidelines. You struggled through life, poor and unable to find clothes for your family." He began to shake again as she raised an eyebrow and continued, "Tell me when I've struck a nerve. This watch tells stories upon stories…" She tapped her fingernail on the plastic bag, still holding her sharp glare on the suspect's gaze, not faltering a moment in her confidence. "What is this? A Rolex? Very expensive, a beautiful, beautiful watch indeed." The man swallowed as he studied the watch, slowly shaking his head. "Your brother attempted to give you his own watch as a gift, but that did it didn't it? That made you snap. You were jealous of him, jealous of his life, to think that he could possibly give you such an expensive gift…most would react with grace, but you? No…"

She rose, smacking her hands on the table, watching the suspect flinch as his gaze shot up to hers. Adrenaline poured through her veins as the suspect shriveled in his seat. "You took a knife and you attacked him! You were jealous of his skills, of his popularity and his fame, so you killed him!"

"It wasn't like that!" He jeered back and looked to the knife, whining as he closed his eyes. "It's true, I envied him. Ryan always was the smart one. So he wanted to give me his watch so I could sell it and make some money. I was overdue on rent, all I wanted was a loan from him and he gave me his watch. I told him I needed more than a watch, we argued, things got physical…he struck me and I grabbed the knife. I don't know what or why…I just…I tackled him, I kept stabbing him over and over, ignoring his pleas." The man buried his face into his hands, sobbing gently. "I killed him! I killed him…"

The guards came in to cuff him and cart him away. The older man looked to her, grinning at her. "Great job Trina, got a confession out of another."

"I learned from the best, DB. This one was an open and shut case, though." The case brought up a lot of emotions for her, however. She could never kill her own sibling, she couldn't fathom what could make a person so angry, so filled with malice, that they would kill a sibling or parent. "Can't say it came without its emotions though…" Russell frowned, understanding her frustration with the case. Of all the cases she'd worked, this was one of those she was working most furiously to solve and be done with. "Kind of reminds me of back home, to be honest. Charlie and Megan always ask me why I don't go back, why I don't talk about living in LA. Honestly, there's nothing to talk about."

"You have to face your battles one at a time. I suppose." She slid her hand along the steel table and slowly pushed herself up. She never spoke of her past, simple as that. It was best never to look back. That was her philosophy, what she told herself anytime she gave thought to those jackasses back home.

"If I ever see them again, DB, it'll be too damn soon." Her tone was laced with heavy bitterness and her heart beat with contempt. Tori, Tori's friends, and even her dear mother and father. She couldn't stand any of them, even now, when she hadn't seen or talked to them in twenty long years. "You can't give me reason enough to go back there."

"I can give you two. Charlie and Megan." She looked to her aged mentor and sighed, slowly sweeping her fingertips along her forehead. Charlie was her husband of twelve years, and the son of CSI Russell, her mentor. Megan was their beautiful ten year old daughter. She was the light of Trina's life.

In college, she was heavily involved in her studies and school work, and actively involved with her mentors. She placed no time on relationships until she was done at twenty six years of age. She met Charlie towards the end of her college career when Russell was mentoring her. His son, finishing up his own college career, decided to see his father's protégé. The two struck up a friendship and begun dating, they married when she turned twenty-eight. She had Megan when she was thirty. Thankfully, marrying her boss and mentor's son didn't affect her job credentials in any way. She did her best to make time for her husband and daughter, though her job took over a good portion of her time. Russell and the others tried to lesson that as much as they could, but it wasn't easy. She loved her family and she loved her job, so she tried to balance both out.

Over the last twenty years, had she thought about Tori? Had she thought about her parents or even Tori's friends? Sure, from time to time she even missed them. She kept reminding herself over the years of all the shit they put her through, all the things they'd called her and treated her like dirt. That kept her from missing them too much. There was no way in hell she could miss people who probably didn't miss her.

"I know it's hard to accept, but as I get older, I see more and more important family is…" She chuckled and walked with him towards the door.

"Family is important, so why haven't you retired yet? You're sixty-nine years old now, it would be a benefit for you to retire."

"You know why I'm staying on, we need to find this serial killer." It was their toughest case yet, everyone was working on this investigation. So far, they figured the murders were happening while the killer was on vacation. It was a guess. The victims were usually women, thin, with long brown hair. More times than not, they seemed to be a certain age, forty-eight to fifty.

The murders were occurring over time. They were currently at a stalemate, considering no traces or clues were left behind. This person was very careful, very meticulous. The most recent death was last summer. There were six victims they'd found that took place within the last fifteen years. Each was a certain amount of time apart, but always the estimated time of death was around a time when vacationers would be flocking to Las Vegas. Usually the middle of the summer, the fourth of July, or with one rare occasion, Thanksgiving.

"You think the deaths would have something to do with family? The victims are often attacked when families would be normally be together." Not to mention a signature trait, the victim would have their wedding ring shoved down their throat. Along with that, the corners of the victim's lips would be cut. The type of cut appeared to be made with some sort of shearing tool, likely by a pair of scissors.

"Could be. Sara was looking into the backgrounds of our victims, it seems like each of them up to this point was cheating on their spouse, or at least they had an affair at some point of time in their marriage." She rubbed her chin and shook her head, this was all the information they had to go on. They didn't have any suspects, they didn't have any evidence pointing them towards a suspect.

"Too clean, too meticulous. The fact that there's no evidence of sexual assault found on any of the victims is curious…though not all serial killers are known to do that, but lately it seems hard that we don't find that." The other instance is usually the only wound they have is a hole that is cut over where the heart is. Then the killer proceeds to cut the arteries and veins leading to the heart, as if snipping with a pair of scissors. "The murder weapon, possible medical scissors?"

"Not sure." They walked into the office to find Nick, Sara, Finlay, Morgan and Greg waiting for them. Finlay still looked the same as she did twenty years ago, with long blonde hair, only with grey streaks. Morgan and Greg had married and were doing well with their life. Sara and Nick had been around a very long time, they were truly married to their job, if nothing else.

"Great job in the investigation room!" Morgan congratulated her, patting her shoulder. "You were awesome."

"Twenty years and she never ceases to amaze," Nick stated. They were complimenting her on her investigation skills. Like DB specialized in criminology and the criminal mind, she did as well. Of course, Finlay taught her a thing or two about blood spatter, as that was Finlay's specialization. They each contributed to something here, and all of them were like that of a close knit family. Add Charlie and Megan into that mix, and this was the closest thing to a real family that she could get.

She chuckled under her breath and lifted her shoulders. "Thanks guys…but DB's right, we still have another case to solve." She looked towards the hallway, down the long corridor was the coroner's room.

In Los Angeles, things were far different for Tori. When Trina left, she'd separated from her friends for the most part. She blamed every one of them for her sister's departure. Andre stuck around for her through it all, they dated through college, and eventually married. They had one child, a girl named Katrina. Named for her sister, but ironically, the girl and her friends often shortened her name to Kat. Kat was only eight years old.

Tori had suffered a great deal of depression over her sister's leaving, and their mother had run out on them as well, to add to the anxiety. Holly Vega, she revealed herself to be having an affair with David's partner on the job, then she left a couple years after Trina. David and Tori were used to this, the woman never even looked back, just like Trina. Also like Trina, neither Tori or David heard from Holly since.

David had since retired and was living with Tori and Andre. It was the best thing for him, since he was often lonely sitting in a house by himself. He always regretted telling Trina to move far away, and always he wished he could have taken things back and told his daughter how he really felt about her.

Twenty years later, Sinjin's immortal words still played in their heads. It was too late, too late to fix anything that had gone wrong in their lives.

Now, Tori was just a choir teacher at Hollywood Arts. She never wanted to follow her dream, especially after realizing it was that 'dream' that made her forget her sister. Andre had been a part of a band in his college years, but that faded away and he got a real job as a piano instructor at a nearby community college. She was afraid of pushing him away. Just like her mother, just like her sister, she pushed _everyone_ away! Even now, their marriage was on the rocks.

Beck and Jade were doing fine, they were rich now as Beck was the only one in the group to strike fame. He became an actor and lived high in Hollywood. Jade didn't have to work, she was a simple socialite who loved having parties and gossiped about the town. Beck had been granted some big time acting gig in college. Jade was enormously bitter that week Trina left, but her bitterness had grown more. She eventually stopped coming around when it was discovered Holly was having that affair with David's partner.

Cat befriended a girl after Hollywood Arts named Sam Puckett, they started some babysitting scheme together and rented a place. After a few years, they went their own ways. Cat now lived in a small apartment somewhere south of LA, working as a voice instructor. Robbie? He faded away into obscurity. Cat had also left pregnant with Robbie Shapiro's baby. Robbie tried to remain in touch with Cat. However, she didn't want to date him after he still carried that puppet around with him. Even with a baby, she asked him to leave, and he did.

Of all the friends, he felt the most guilt towards what they blamed themselves for in 'ruining a family'. They all blamed themselves for making Trina leave, and Robbie's last words to them were that Sinjin was right and Trina was right to go away. He saw them all for a bunch of self-centered jackasses that he too had become. With that, they never saw him again.

For Tori, today was just another day of life at Hollywood Arts. She sat at her desk, eyeing all the students in the classroom. "Well class…I think we'll begin with learning the higher octaves…" Her tone was laced with exhaustion, but then, antidepressants were known to cause some fatigue. She wasn't clinically depressed, but her therapist just _had_ to put her on the pills because all she talked about was how everything went wrong in her life.

"Are you okay Mrs. Harris?" It was her star pupil that raised her hand, a sixteen year old girl with long brown hair and a cheerful smile. She reminded Tori a lot of herself back in the day. "You've been staring at us for like five minutes or so…"

"What?" She rubbed her forehead and chuckled nervously, wishing to portray an illusion that everything was picture perfect. May 1, 2033, twenty years to the day Trina left her behind, but she couldn't let that slip. "No, no, everything's fine. I'm sorry, I guess I got distracted."

"Well we're not studying octaves, Mrs. Harris, we're studying advanced vocal techniques. You were also going over next week's performance?"

"Oh! Yes, yes, that's right…" She muttered about needing to get off the infernal medication, it wasn't doing her an ounce of good. If anything, it was making her _worse_ mentally and emotionally. Also, it was causing problems for her marriage, she was too exhausted to talk to Andre or do much of anything, she was also more irritable lately because of it. "Sorry about that class, the doctor prescribed some strange medicine for me to take-"

"Are you not well?"

"It's just a little cold or something, the medicine's not helping, so I'm actually going to get off of it. Don't worry! I'll be back to my normal old self soon." Normal? She was one of the school's more eccentric teachers nowadays, Sikowitz retired long ago. "Anyway, the performance, right…"

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Well what do you guys think so far? It's going to be a great run.


	2. Happy Family?

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N: This is the much coveted continuation/sequel of "Trina's Song". It takes place several years later. Trina, a grown and married woman now, investigating a case of a serial killer is led back to LA where she wrestles the concept of seeing the family she left behind.

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Chapter 2 (Happy Family)

"Solved another case today," Trina said while walking through the front door. She heard her little girl call out to her and smiled as Megan came running from the nearby kitchen. "Hey baby." She bent over, wrapping her arms around her daughter, who was hugging her thighs.

Megan was a sweet child with a round face and long brown hair, her eyes were a shimmering blue, like the ocean, and the clothes she often wore were as bright as her cheery personality. "Momma, Daddy and I built a model airplane! Come see!" Her heart skipped a beat as Megan took her hand and led her into the kitchen where Charlie was sitting at the round table with a long model airplane made of Lego pieces. "See!"

"It looks great, sweetie." Charlie didn't work too frequently, he was an assistant basketball coach for a local high school, but only worked odd days. It was good for their schedule, because someone was here to keep Megan preoccupied when she wasn't at school. They never had a second child because Trina didn't want to run the risk of her daughter having the same problems that she did. Granted, she and Charlie were_ good_ parents, they wouldn't let their daughter think they didn't love her. Not like her parents, at least. "You and papa worked together?"

"Well actually, she did most of the work," Charlie said with a deep chuckle. His handsome eyes gazed through the short brown bangs covering his forehead. It was getting a bit long, Trina often teased him when he didn't get a haircut. He preferred to have it cut short as opposed to letting it grow out and spend ten minutes trying to comb it or style it. Ironically, he _did_ take longer with his hair than it took _her_. "I helped by telling her where to put the pieces."

"Ah." Trina rubbed her daughter's shoulder, gazing down with pride at the young girl. "I'm very proud of you sweetheart." Being so early in May, Megan's school was starting to let out early. Classes would be over soon enough.

"How's grandpa doing, Mom? Dad and I were talking, when is he going to retire?"

"Apparently he doesn't want to leave the force just yet." Charlie rolled his eyes and Trina lifted her shoulders, there was no way to convince the man. "He's just that stubborn, but we're trying to convince him." Megan shook her head and climbed onto the chair and folded her arms over the table.

"I don't like that Grandpa's still working in that area, it's dangerous for a man his age isn't it?" Trina nodded and hugged her daughter from behind, kissing the top of her head and promising to keep Megan's grandpa from danger. Megan was fairly intelligent for her age, another reason Trina was so proud of the girl. The world was open for that girl to do anything she liked in the future.

"There's just one last case he wants to finish before retirement, but I think he's getting there." She looked to the oven as a sweet smell drifted over towards her. Barbecue. Charlie looked over with a subtle smile.

"I've cooked the pot roast for supper," Charlie pushed himself up from the table and walked to the oven. He was the cook in the family, which was good, because if Trina had to cook, it would be a long time before anything got finished. Not to say she was a terrible cook, she was just working too much. "Looks like it's done."

"I'll set the table!" Megan declared. The little girl hopped from the table and rushed to the kitchen cabinets. The model airplane seemed it would make a pleasant centerpiece, so there was no reason to move it. Trina watched her daughter with a joyful expression. While Megan gathered the plates, Charlie avoided her while carrying the hot roast to the marble countertop.

It _was_ upsetting to see Megan hurting, and the young child was always sad when it came to realizing how messed up her own family was. Her grandpa refused to quit dangerous work, her paternal aunt, Maya, lived an hour away while Maya's daughter Kaitlyn was twenty-five and attending college all the way in New York. That being said, Megan knew her maternal family wasn't any better off. She always talked about wanting to see them, but Trina's pride just didn't allow for it.

Even as smart as her daughter was, Trina didn't think she'd understand the full reason why she left in the first place. Both Charlie and Megan knew what happened, they knew how neglected Trina had been. They knew she essentially walked off the only way she knew how to do so and to start her life anew.

They sat around the table after it was set. Trina sat at the head while Megan sat to her right, and Charlie served the food. "Daddy cooked the roast with lots of spices. I've wanted to eat it all day, Mom."

"Well now we get to eat." In the corner of her eyes, she saw that the child gazing at her curiously. She leaned back in her chair and met Megan's gaze. "Is something on your mind, sweetie?"

"Daddy told me not to say anything, but I wanted to ask, I know today's not a good day for you? Right Momma?" Her heart stopped for a moment and her lips tucked into a sad smile as she slowly nodded her head. Charlie sat down across from her and looked up to his family. Megan got up from the table and walked over, hugging her mother. "I love you Mom."

"I love you too baby. I'll always love you." It wasn't such a bad day for her _today_, while it was a bad day when it came to anniversaries. "It's been a long time since I left them, dear, I've moved on from that part of my life." Though it seemed like everyone in her life was trying to convince her to at least return to her hometown and form some sort of relationship with her family again.

"Okay Momma…" Megan returned to her seat and started to cut her meat. "Did you put away another bad guy today?"

"Yes."

"Awesome." Megan lifted her fork up, grinning, "I want to be just like you one day, Mommy."

"Well, it's hard work, what I do." She took a bite of her own meal and closed her eyes, smiling as the flavors dazzled her tongue. Megan was always fond having all her close relatives in the law enforcement, save her dad of course. Both her grandfathers were law enforcement, albeit separate spectrums. She had to wonder what Tori and her father would think of her now, not that she thought they'd give a shit what she was up to. Likely, they'd be just like all of Tori's friends and scoff at her, questioning how she could possibly do a job like this.

She was living her _dream_, whether they realized it or not! She had her _life_. She had a happy marriage, a beautiful family, a damn good career. There was nothing more she could ask for. At her work, they accepted her. Her family accepted her. That was more than she could say about anyone back home. No. She learned she could never call that place home. _This_ was home. Proudly, she took another bite of her meal and looked over at her husband.

"You've outdone yourself tonight."

"Thank you."

Later that night, after the dishes were done and Megan was tucked away in her bed, Trina climbed into her own. The lamps on either side of the bed were on and Trina was sitting up against the headboard with a book in her hands. Charlie was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth and finishing his late night shower.

Trina was engrossed in the newest novel of late, a detective novel that involved a serial killer. Novels like these sometimes helped her to better grasp her cases at work. She turned the page and lifted her eyebrows as the detective revealed the killer to be a dear and close friend.

The light in the bathroom turned off and Trina lifted her gaze up to her husband. She smirked, eyeing his body. He always slept in his boxers, he had strong shoulders and big arms, but a thin stomach. Charlie had quite a bit of arm hair, they had to shave his chest hair every so often once it started growing. He smiled at her and climbed into the bed beside her. Once in, Trina shut the book and set it on the end table beside her.

"Trina, I've been thinking about something." She put her head on his shoulder and folded her arms over her stomach. "I know how you feel about having a second child, but Megan really doesn't have a lot of friends at school." They'd talked to death this topic, she never let it worry her, but her stance on having another child was always the same. Not only did she not want to get pregnant, she didn't want to run the risk that Megan would ever think they'd show favoritism. "We can adopt, Trina."

"What has you feeling this way, Charlie?" Trina lifted her head and furrowed her brow as she anxiously gazed into his eyes. "I mean…"

"Well, you know Megan brought it up herself a few days ago. Then there was the case you worked about a week ago involving that child who witnessed both parents…you know…" She bowed her head, her pain stung her heart as she remembered that case. It was one of the worst cases she'd worked over twenty years, and there were a _lot_ of terrible ones. The poor child was found on the scene, covered in his parents' blood, hugging his mother's body. The neighbor said they heard the child wailing and went to check on them, that's when they called the police.

"It never gets easier working them…"

"I know." He put his arm around her shoulders and she rested her head back into the crevice between his neck and shoulder. Her head came to rest gently on his chest and her eyelids slid down. "I won't push the subject. A second child would be a lot, and there are a lot of children out there that need a good home. You're a great mother, a wonderful mom to Megan, and I know that any other child, you would love just the same."

"Yeah."

"I know when we had Megan, you said you didn't want another child, and that was because you were afraid of running the risk of favoritism. You and I would never do that. I know what it's like having a sibling, so do you, and you have seen through neglectful parents…You know what _not_ to do."

"I don't know Charlie…" She loved children, she really did, and she agreed with him on almost every point he made. Sure she was scared to death of having another child because she didn't want one child to feel slighted by the other. She knew it was possible, hell, Charlie's sister had three children including the eldest, Kaitlyn. He wasn't the only one Megan mentioned wanting a sibling to either, she heard her daughter's request before as well.

It just didn't work that way.

"Well. I'm done with that conversation for now, do you want to tell me how work went today?"

"Yeah, we finally got the guy." She lifted her head and leaned forward, gently kissing her husband's lips. It was her own self-reward for a job well done.

This was often their nightly ritual, discussing their day and then falling asleep, curled up with one another. He was more comfortable than her pillow was, after all. She did miss the nights when Megan would come crawling into their bed due to a nightmare or something else going on.

Truth be told, her mind was still on the concept of having another child running through the house. She saw so many cases come in where a child lost a parent, or both parents, and was being thrust into foster care. So many times, they were likely only getting thrown into bad foster families. Most times a foster family was bad because they knew they weren't keeping the child permanently, so they didn't focus on that child with the same amount of love and tender care.

All throughout her years, Trina came across so many children she just fell in love with. Many times she wanted to take these children into their arms, tell them they would be safe, and never let them go.

Maybe Charlie had a point. It was possible that she wanted another child, and she knew she would treat that child with the same amount of love she gave to Megan. She would do everything in her power to give them the same amount of care and attention, so that neither would ever feel neglected, and neither would ever make the choice in life that she made, to leave the family.

The other issue she was having difficulty with was the fact that Megan didn't have many friends at school. She wanted to know why, all she knew was that her daughter didn't socialize. She sat alone at lunch, she sat in the back of the classroom. The teachers said she was a chipper person, but when it came to socialization, she was different. Was it because of the disjointed family? She wanted to find out.

If they adopted another child, would that help give Megan a friend? Or would it essentially give her daughter the same trauma that she had with her younger sibling? She wanted to adopt, she wanted another child, but she wanted to make Megan happy. She loved her daughter and didn't want to do anything to make her feel secondary or less.

"Charlie, I think tomorrow, I'm going to have a talk with Megan about school."

"Yeah, she wouldn't talk to me about anything. I only heard from her teacher about the social situation."

"You don't think it's my fault? Have I done something wrong? Am I not giving her enough attention?"

Charlie closed his eyes and chuckled softly, shaking his head, "Trina, I think someone would almost accuse you of smothering and sheltering her more than they would of neglecting her." This was true, she spent the better part of her free time with her daughter, showering her with attention. Maybe it was too much?

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Seems Trina has a nice family, not without some dilemmas though, what are your thoughts?


	3. Megan's Feelings

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N: It's going to be a couple chapters before she actually goes back to LA, it's all about timing. The serial killer murders are what is going to be taking her back there, you'll see.

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Chapter 3 (Megan's Feelings)

The next morning, Trina was driving her silver 2030 Nissan Murano, taking Megan to school for the day. Megan was sitting in the passenger seat, though she wasn't supposed to, and her pink backpack was in the back. "Mom, why do we have an van? I always wondered about that." She had no solid answer, she just liked the feel and safety of a larger SUV. It was a bit much for a family of three. "The kids at school ask about that because they never see you dropping anyone else off at school."

"I just think we're safer in a car like this than a smaller vehicle." Vegas was a dangerous place to drive, she never trusted it all that well. She stopped at the stop sign before the turn in to the school parking lot. She wanted to go inside and have a talk with Megan's teacher about why it was that her daughter wasn't being made to participate in group activities in class.

Megan put her hand to the side of the door where the window was and gazed out, humming to herself. "You know, if you go in with me, people are going to wonder if there's been a murder." Trina laughed as her daughter perked up a toothy grin. "Everyone at school knows you work as a police officer."

"Actually sweetheart, it's a CSI agent. There's a slight difference, but police officer works fine." She winked and Megan laughed. She turned into the parking lot and drove to a parking space with blue lines, indicating visitor parking. Megan reached in the back seat for her pack. Trina watched her in silence, lamenting over the conversation she had last night with Charlie. It broke her heart to know that Megan had no friends at the school. She wanted to do everything to make things right, to make sure her daughter was happy, but this was one of those things it felt like she couldn't solve. She had to, she was a mom, she had to solve every problem her daughter had. "Sweetheart, can I ask you something?"

"Sure mom." Megan pulled the backpack up and met her eyes. She had a very sweet and caring look in her gaze. How could a child so happy have little friends? Megan tilted her head and whined out her concern. "Is something the matter, mom?"

"Well your dad and I were talking…he said your teachers were saying that you weren't being social or making friends? Is there something wrong?" Megan's lips formed a circle and she quickly shook her head.

"That's my own doing, I just like to do my own thing. I like to write, Momma. So at lunch I try to not be distracted by other kids and work on some poems and stuff."

"But if you don't socialize, then how are you going to make friends?" Socialize? She had to double back a little on that statement, for when she socialized back in the day, people never gave her a chance. Or moreover, her sister's _friends_ never gave her a chance, she never attempted to socialize with others, except for Sinjin at least. He was a decent friend. She had to make sure her daughter didn't fall into the same trap! "Also, if you socialize with the wrong people-"

"It's _okay_ momma, I have my reasons." Megan reached over and hugged her, then leaned up to kiss her cheek. Trina smiled at her daughter and wrapped her arms around her as well. She was afraid for her, scared that if she didn't start making friends now, it would affect her in the future. "Momma, people like me at school when I _do_ talk to them. So if I want to make friends, I _will_."

"Well then, you should show me some of those poems you say you write."

"I will, Momma." She didn't understand, why were the teachers saying something wrong if nothing was wrong? Are you coming inside? Be prepared, my class might want you to talk about your job."

"Why is that?" She laughed. Megan gave her an innocent, but mischievous grin and opened up the door.

"I might have talked about you a million times or so."

"I _see."_

Once inside the school and the classroom, Megan rushed to the desk in the back of the room. A group of students made their way to her. Trina walked up to the teacher, a husky woman in a purple shirt and long blonde curls. The woman glanced up at her and extended her hand, smiling gently as Trina took the handshake offer. "Hi, I'm Trina Russell. Megan's mother."

"Yes, we've heard about you. Mrs. Tucker, by the way. How is work? Megan's always going on about your 'adventures', she's quite the storyteller." The woman chuckled and winked, "You may have a future author on your hands."

"Who knows. God knows I'm proud of that little girl…but I'm here because I wanted to ask about your concerns regarding her social behavior?" When she was just a kid, she actually did have social anxiety. It waned after a while, but came back full blast after Tori joined Hollywood Arts. Even throughout college, she was scared to death of trying to make friends, mostly because she thought nobody would accept her.

Tori may never have realized it, but her friends screwed her mental state up so badly that she went without a single friend for so many years. Even now, she was still closed to people and held them away at arm's length, distrusting just about everyone. The only one that ever made it inside was her initial family. Charlie, Megan of course, her mentor and father in law, and a couple members of the CSI team.

She blamed Tori and her friends for it all. She didn't want Megan going through the same troubles, but from their conversation in the car, it sounded like she _didn't_ have those troubles.

As she looked over to her daughter, she saw her chatting with the group of kids in the corner. A curious thing, really. She was holding her notebook and pointing with a pencil at her own writing while explaining it. Was it another poem? A story? Either way, she didn't display the same social anxieties that Trina had growing up.

"She doesn't seem to have any social anxiety. Megan told me just now in the car that she just hasn't been willingly making lasting friendships with anyone, that if she wanted to, she would…"

"Right, she doesn't appear to have that, it's just as you said; she's not making friends. A girl her age should, but she's engrossed in the poems and stories she writes. I have seen her turn down an offer to play on the playground at recess so she can write." Trina rubbed her chin and frowned, glancing over to Megan once more. This wasn't _good_ news. It was great she had a hobby, but she had to remember that making friends was important. "Now I know it's not my place to parent, and I think you're doing a wonderful job, but I think you need to convince her to at least form a friendship with someone."

"Yeah…I'll have to talk to her about that."

"Oh, and um, I'm sorry if I'm overstepping personal bounds here, but, have you and your husband considered a second child? Adoption maybe?"

"What?" She snapped her gaze back to the teacher, appalled that she would suggest that. Though, she was more stunned because it was a topic that was current in her life. "Charlie and I have talked about it, but I'm not sure if I want to make that decision right now…"

"Well. I apologize, it's just, she wrote this poem and left it on her desk a couple weeks ago…" Trina followed Mrs. Tucker to her desk and watched nervously as the woman opened a drawer and looked through the papers. She stopped on one and pulled it out, pointing to the sheet with a concerned gaze. "I think Megan might be feeling a little lonely at home."

"I don't see why she would, she has her father and she has me."

"I know a lot of people who are single parents, and there's nothing wrong with that, but Mrs. Russell…a lot of kids that grow up without a brother or sister tend to have social issues later in life. Before I was a teacher, I was a counselor, and I can tell you there are both pros and cons of raising a child as a single child."

She started to look at the poem, but took her eyes away to listen to the teacher. "And that would be?"

"Well there are many who feel one child is enough, but you have to think about both pros and cons. Sure, the pros would be there's only one child to think about, one child to care for and extra children can have the decisions such as schools and the needs of each child can differ." Right, she understood that having another child would mean more decision making. There's never any disagreements with just one child, she and Charlie experienced that essentially. "Sure another pro is that you don't have to worry about 'playing favorites'."

"That's a big one for me…Grew up with a sister, she got everything she ever wanted. She was the prize, the trophy child, I was…nobody…" The teacher paused, looking at her with a deep sorrow. "So I understand more than ever the pros of an only child."

"Right…so you don't want to feel like Megan will have the same troubles you went through?"

"I'd like to avoid that, yes. More children means I have to divide time, worry that one will feel attention isn't enough, and so on. I want to protect Megan, I don't want to make her upset in any way."

"I see…"

"So…what are the cons?" She was genuinely interested in knowing what was _bad_ about having an only child. It was hard to believe there was anything wrong with it, and sometimes, she actually had wished she was an only child. The teacher folded her arms and closed her eyes, exhaling slowly.

"No matter what there is there's always going to be a con where there are pros, and vice versa. One thing is the most obvious, the child will become _lonely_." Trina felt her heart sink and she immediately wanted to protest, shout that Megan couldn't _possibly_ be lonely, but she withheld her opinion on the matter. "If there's not a sibling to play with, the child can become lonely, bored, neighbor kids and friends may not be available to play with. If your child has siblings, they won't have to worry about that."

"Well I-"

"Tell me Mrs. Russell, you said your sister was a 'trophy sister', correct?" She bowed her head and narrowed her eyes. The teacher put her hand to her shoulder and gave her a reassuring look. Where was she going with this?

"Spent all her time with her friends, did everything possible to _not_ include me. I never had anything to do with her, I may as well have been an only child because that's how it felt…"

"You were lonely, then?"

"Yeah…"

"You're so afraid of Megan going through the same things, but you went through that same loneliness an only child goes through."

She scoffed briefly and closed her eyes. "Move on please."

"Well. Another issue is children that are an only child might not learn much about give and take, sharing is _important_ to teach. They won't have a sibling to share their toys with, and without another child, they won't learn to share things." She frowned at the thought of her daughter growing up not learning to share, she needed to be able to teach that essential life lesson to her. "They can also become too spoiled, expecting everything to be given to them. You can therefore afford to give them the best, they may _expect_ the best, and that can cause some unrealistic issues when it comes to adulthood…"

"I can understand that…"

"Next you have to deal with, and this is big because your job itself raises the question of you passing." She raised an eyebrow and felt a lump forming in her throat. "Not only will their family size be very small when they have kids, their children won't have cousins or aunts and uncles unless it's on the other parent's side. The problem is also, they themselves won't have the support of a brother or sister to help them if something were to happen to you and you were to pass. They'll be alone."

"Yeah, I guess…"

"If you and your husband have already passed, your child won't have a brother or sister to rely on if they become sick or are in need of something. It's nice to know siblings that have your best interest in mind."

"Would be nice, yeah."

"I can understand your hesitation to bring another child into your family, and it's never a decision to be made lightly. Something that needs to be handled with care. In the end, everyone's opinion on the matter is different and sibling relationships are unpredictable. You said yourself, you had a bad relationship with your sister and you have a good reason for being afraid of how a sibling might affect your child. What's important though, is I think you should talk about how she feels in regards of that…Now that I've said all that, if you'd turn your attention to your daughter's poem real quick…This is the reason I'm concerned for your daughter."

With a heavy, defeated sigh, she lifted up her daughter's poem and read the words. Her heart broke as she read over words that Megan never once expressed to her.

_My Mystery Aunt_

_I never knew you, wish I did_

_You hurt my mom long ago_

_It was her happiness you undid_

_Don't say you didn't know_

_I want a brother or sister, but can't have one_

_It's because of what you did to my mom_

_Knowing you might have been fun_

_Sometimes I envy mom_

_She had a sibling, even if you didn't care_

_She had someone to talk to…_

_Even if you weren't there_

_Maybe I could have had someone too_

_Wish you two talked again_

_Siblings should never be apart, I think_

_I would never have let my sister get on that plane_

_But I'd never let her sink_

_I guess I wouldn't know how that goes_

_If I had a sister, she'd be important to me_

_Guess it was your friends you chose_

_That should __never__ be!_

_Don't get me wrong, I'm not upset_

_Still, I'd love to meet you!_

_Mom wouldn't allow it, I bet_

_Still, what I say is true_

_Well never meet and I won't have a brother_

_Because mom doesn't believe in that_

_If it's not one thing, it's another_

_Her decision is because you were a brat_

_If it were something else, I'd understand_

_Fact is, it's only because of you_

_Because you couldn't take a stand_

_I'm alone at home thanks of you_

_All the other kids have brothers and sisters_

_I envy them all because they're happy_

_It doesn't matter much_

_I just want momma to be happy_

_So I guess I'm not sure, really_

_Maybe I don't want to meet you, ever_

_It seems silly_

_I could take whichever_

_So this is to you_

_My Mystery Aunt_

_I do wish I knew you_

_Maybe it's better that I can't…_

Trina folded the paper and pushed it into her pocket. Her eyes were misty and her heart was racing. "She never told me she was concerned about any of that…"

"Megan cares the world about you, she probably worries about whether or not you'll be in good shape if she did bring any of it up?"

"I need to let her know she can talk to me about anything…but okay, thank you for your concerns Mrs. Tucker. I'll let you get to your class." She left the teacher and walked over to her daughter, kneeling beside her desk. Megan looked over at her with a fading smile and growing concern.

"Mom? Are you crying?"

"No honey, I…" She swept her eyes and cleared her throat. "I just have something in my eyes, that's all." She hugged Megan close and closed her eyes. "I love you, sweetie."

"Love you too, Mom."

"You know you can talk to me about _anything_, okay?"

"Okay…" Megan raised an eyebrow and hugged her back. Trina kissed her forehead and stood up.

"You have a good day all right, and play with some of the kids, all right?"

"Okay Momma. I'll see you after school?"

"Yes sweetie. I'll see you after work."

"Okay momma, you have a good day. Love you!"

Leaving the school, she pulled out the poem and read it over once more, her hands trembled and her chest ached. Two big concerns in her daughter's life were brought to her attention, and she wasn't aware that her daughter had these feelings? She was ashamed of herself! There was one thing she couldn't help, one thing she couldn't control, she couldn't just up leave to LA to see the sister she left twenty years ago.

She understood Megan's desire and confliction over wanting to see the aunt she never met, but it was more than just a stubborn pride that was keeping Trina from allowing it to happen.

The only other thing was Megan's apparent desire for a brother or sister. How could she make her daughter happy with desires that seemed so high on the scale? These were serious matters, for serious discussion. She sniffed her nose and pocketed the poem before hurrying off to her car.

There was more to her sordid tale than what met the eye. She hadn't simply left LA because of the neglect and the name calling, no that was all a catalyst at best. Twenty years left her with little time to cope with the event that made her realize she was truly cared by no one. An event that was the final straw to break the camel's back. She couldn't simply tell her daughter what had happened to her so long ago, but Charlie knew and so did DB.

And Tori's friends were to blame. More than nearly killing her on stage by cutting a rope, more than calling her worthless and piling her with emotional abuse. They opened the door to a more physical pain, setting the stage for the biggest embarrassment and shame of her life, and it all started with that infernal song Cat and Robbie sang to her in regards to her being dumped by that boy, Seth, so long ago.

* * *

So what do you think of Megan's poem (and yes it's an original poem that _I_ wrote!), as well as the teacher's advice? Seems Megan doesn't have the social anxiety Trina worries about, perhaps Megan will choose to get some good friends. Also about the ending thoughts at the end, yes something happened hat was meant to be more of a prank against Trina, but the details of this 'prank' will be revealed much later. Tori, never quite knew. Well, next chapter is to come


	4. Considering Second Child

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 4 (A Second Child)

Trina stepped into the coroner's office, seeing the elder replacement of Doc Robbins hunched over one of the victims of the serial killer, "No new findings, Paul?" Paul looked up and adjusted his thin glasses and swept his hand through his grey, balding hair.

"Unfortunately not." Paul moved his gloved hand over the face of the victim and tucked his finger into the cut on the corner of the lips. "However I think I'm narrowing down the type of scissor used to make this cut. Remember we were thinking it was a regular pair of scissors, but there is slight bruising of the lip around the cut area. It is my belief, my finding, that the cut is being made by a pair of wire cutters." Paul moved to his desk and lifted up a commonly found tool. It was a wire cutter with a flattened side that was often used for stability as the sharp blade came down against it to cut. She studied it closely and glanced at the victim, narrowing her eyes as she imagined someone cutting the victim's lips with the tool.

"We need to find this guy, Paul. Tell me you found something else, anything that can lead to a finding. Hair, foreign blood, _anything?"_ The nightmare never seemed to end. People were beginning to fear, and holidays were not a time that many enjoyed anymore with the threat of this serial killer lurking about. "Not to mention, doesn't bruising imply signs of _life_? Are you saying the victim is alive when the attacker cuts them?"

Paul slowly nodded and moved his finger to the hole, "I believe the victim keeps the killer alive until they cut through to the heart. Now the chest cavity can't simply be cut with a pair of wire cutters, which is why I think the person has another pair of scissors they're using. The cuts are still the same as what scissors would imply, rather than knives. Smooth, painful, and swift. You don't have the sawing motion of a knife trying to cut through flesh, muscle, and tissue…"

"Jesus…" She brushed her forehead and shook her head, "Just let us know if you find anything at all." She lowered her hand and clenched her teeth. She wanted to find this killer and punch them square in the jaw. "If all the victims have had an affair in their lifetime…I don't know…"

"You seem a bit distracted today. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, everything's fine Paul, thank you." She started making her way out the office, but jumped back when Morgan came walking in. They almost ran into each other. Morgan looked to her and gave her a gentle smile.

"Trina, you have a visitor."

"Oh?" Trina followed Morgan outside and stopped when she saw a small boy sitting on the bench outside DB's office. The boy had curly brown hair and a round, freckled face. His sad round blue eyes gazed up and dazzled to life once he saw her. He was small, a little over six years old. She recognized him instantly as one of the boys from the orphanage down the street. "Joshua. You left the orphanage again?"

The boy hopped off the bench and hurried over to her. "Trina!" He was small for his age, but very scrappy. It was rare to see orphanages in this day and age, but of course, they would always be around as long as there were children without families. When the social workers are full and there are no foster families able or willing to take a child, the child had to stay somewhere. Little Josh was one of those children. Unfortunately, being six years old meant he was getting older and foster families were going after the younger children.

She first met the boy on a case she worked two years ago. His mother passed during childbirth, so he only lived with his father. His father got caught up with some bad people and he was shot through the kitchen window in front of his four year old son. They had no other family to speak of, so Josh was put in the orphanage. Trina felt a pull towards this child, like many other children, and was one to check on him every now and then.

Sadly, this meant he started getting attached. He was attached all throughout the case as she was the one that had to continually console him about his father and tell him things would be okay. When he turned five, he started to actually get out from the orphanage and make his way over, knowing exactly where her place of work was.

Even Megan had played with him on several occasions, since she'd been at her mom's place of work when he came around. It was a shame no one had found a place for him yet. "How many times have I told you it's dangerous to come this way?"

"I know, but I wanted to come see you. The kids aren't letting me play with them today." Joshua bashfully kicked his foot back and let out a nervous chuckle. "I uh, I _might have_ thrown a candy bar in the pool the other day…"

"Now why would you go and do that?"

"Because the older kids said it was funny." Trina chuckled and put her hand to his back, guiding him to the bench. She sat down and he hopped up beside her. "Megan's at school?"

"Yes." It was rare for him to see Megan at all, but he always asked how she was doing. Sometimes Megan would go to the orphanage while waiting on her mom to finish up, something Trina kept telling her _not_ to do. One day she was finishing up when she got a call saying her daughter had just lined the kids against one of the walls at the orphanage and giving them orders. Her defense was, she just wanted them to not pick on the 'runt' of the orphanage.

In light of Megan's poem, Trina had wondered if Megan viewed Joshua as almost a little brother. "Do I get you in trouble when I come here?" Trina laughed and flipped her hair over the shoulder, glinting her eyes joyously on DB's office door.

"Well Joshua, I have the pull of being married to the boss's son, so…no."

Morgan chuckled and shook her head, "Trina how many times has DB told you not to get too attached to the children on our cases?"

"Plenty. But it isn't like he's not attached too." Literally everyone on the team was fond of Joshua. They had no clue why, or what it was about the child, but they were glad to have him around. That was to say, the child would have to be returned to the orphanage soon, though Trina often wondered why they didn't call asking about him. "Now Josh, have you been getting into any other trouble lately?"

"I _may have_ put a bug in Mrs. Jones's book…." Mrs. Jones was the lady in charge of the whole program. If anyone had a say over what child gets shown to foster families and who doesn't, it's her. It wasn't right, but there wasn't a thing she could do about it. Trina sighed heavily and slowly shook her head.

"You can't be doing that, Josh. Mrs. Jones has the right to tell potential families if you're behaving or if you don't behave."

"I don't _want_ to go to a foster family though!" He crossed his arms and kicked forward. Trina frowned and moved her arm around the boy's shoulders. The boy seemed to understand the concept of foster families. You go in for x amount of time, then you're pulled out and you go somewhere new. What was the point of getting attached, if you weren't staying somewhere permanently?

"But it's a family." She was often astonished by what the six year old understood. Most children his age didn't realize there was a difference between foster homes and permanent adoption. "Don't you want to go to a loving home with a family that cares about you?"

"Not if it isn't _forever_. My daddy wouldn't have wanted me going from home to home!" She put her hand over her heart and looked up to Morgan, who gazed back with the same sadness that was in the boy's eyes. She'd neglected to remember that Joshua _had_ been under foster care for about two months, then another time for about one month. The two different families each said the same thing: The problem wasn't Joshua, it was that having another child was far too much for them and given he witnessed his father's death, they just couldn't devote the amount of time or care to him.

It angered her deeply to see such action, she honestly wanted to throttle the families that were like that. It was simple, if you weren't going to foster a child, then _don't be a foster parent_. Why didn't people understand that?

"But don't you want to be happy with a family?"

"I do! I just…want it to be forever…" Her heart went out to him, the familiar cry for a forever family touched very deep inside of her. Her own family should have been forever, but she felt just like he and every other child in foster families, and yet her family was biological.

DB's door opened and he stepped out, pausing only to glance down at Trina and Josh with a heavy sigh. Josh smiled nervously at DB and Trina gently scratched her fingers in the boy's curly hair. "I just got off the phone with Mrs. Jones, she's pretty flared up with you right now, Joshua."

"Uh oh…"

Trina rose to her feet, concerned by what DB meant. "What's the problem?"

"Essentially she's not letting him come back until tomorrow morning."

"What? She can't do that!"

"Unfortunately, she _can_…He put a cockroach in her book of records and pulled every other book on her bookshelf from the walls." Trina covered her mouth and Joshua locked his hands behind his back. "She says he keeps acting out and so she wants one of us to deal with him while she cleans her office. I need someone to volunteer to take him in for the night…"

"I'll do it." She put her arm protectively around Joshua's shoulders, hardly thinking twice before making her decision. Megan would likely enjoy having his company, and it might be nice to have another child around the house. "But I am going to have a talk with that lady tomorrow." She looked to Josh and gave him a smile, tapping the tip of his nose with her fingertip. "And you need to start behaving, young man." He giggled in return and rubbed the back of his head.

"I know…So does that mean I get to stay with you today?"

"Well I suppose there isn't any other choice. I'll have to drop you off with Charlie, Megan will enjoy seeing you when she gets home from school." She looked to DB, concerned for the child's welfare.

"Should I stay with him?"

"Unfortunately we have to check out a fresh crime scene. So it's best you drop him off and meet us at the location."

"All right, I can do that."

When they arrived at the house, Charlie was in the living room expecting them. She'd called him about Joshua, so he was ready with a baseball and catcher's mitt. He bought the stuff ten years ago when they thought they were going to have a _boy_, and even to this day, Megan _still_ didn't play sports too much. She enjoyed throwing the ball around, sure, but it was easy for her to lose interest.

"He got in trouble with Mrs. Jones today," Trina said while meeting her husband's questioning eyes. Charlie chuckled as Joshua ran over to him and gazed in awe at the home. "She thinks he's punishing the boy by not letting him come back for the remainder of the day…I don't think he thinks it's a punishment."

"Probably not." Charlie knelt down and smiled at the child, rubbing his hair. "Hey there little guy, you want to throw the ball around?"

"Yeah!" Josh was more than happy, he was squealing with excitement over being here.

"All right then. We'll do that, but then we need to pick up Megan from school in a couple hours. Also, do you like meatloaf?" Trina smiled and watched compassionately as Joshua lit up, practically glowing as he cheered. Charlie looked up at her with a smile, then back to Joshua. "Good, because that's what will be for dinner tonight."

"Awesome!"

Charlie stood up and walked over to Trina as Joshua climbed up on the couch. He put his arm around her shoulders and she moved her head onto his shoulder. "Don't try to pretend you don't enjoy having him here, Trina."

"Okay, I won't. Megan likes him, she's met him several times. And I think…I think she should have a right to have him around for the day." She removed the poem from her pocket and handed it to Charlie, who immediately unfolded it. Creases ran along his forehead as he read over the words. A tear came to Trina's eyes and he gently kissed her forehead.

"It'll be all right. We'll talk to her."

"I don't know why she didn't tell me her concerns…I would be open to hearing them, I'd think."

"She's just worried I'm sure, Megan likes when you're happy and I love when you're happy."

"Yeah…" She kissed his jaw and took a step towards the door. "I need to run to a crime scene, but I will be home soon." She took one look at Joshua and smiled as his gaze filled her with the similar warmth that Megan always gave her. "Joshua, you behave for Charlie, okay?"

"Okay! I will!"

"Good. Now when I get home, I want to hear good things." Joshua nodded and rushed over, giving her a hug goodbye. After that, she took her leave. She honestly was excited to have him there, and couldn't wait to see how Megan would react. It would give her some time to see if maybe, just maybe, things could work out if another child was under the same roof.

* * *

So what are your thoughts this chapter? Next chapter comes the murder case Trina must solve while DB finds out more about the serial killer, which includes the case that sends them back to LA


	5. Nightmare on the Job

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 5 (Nightmare on the Job)

Trina pulled up to the crime scene as Greg Sanders was photographing the body. The body had been found in a car sitting in a ditch along the side of a road. As she walked up to the group, she eyed the body. It was a man in his thirties with curly, coal black hair. He was pale, had large lips, and thick brimmed glasses like Buddy Holly.

She put her hands to her hips, slowly studying the car. There were skid marks coming from off the road, a dent in the side, which was a sign that the man was run off the road. Glass from the windshield was all over the hood and the ground, and the man had a bullet hole in his forehead and his chest. As she walked around the car to look at the license plates, she saw the car was from Texas.

"He was visiting, I think." She jerked up at the voice of Nick Stokes, he was always scaring her out of her focus. He had his arms crossed and was glancing at the back of the car. "There's a bag of luggage in the backseat, as well as a receipt from _The Palace_." Sara Sidle walked over, punching something in on their mobile computer.

"Says here the victim has been living in Texas for the last eighteen years. He has a wife and three boys." If the victim was vacationing, then it was likely the family was here too. Her heart broke for those three kids that would now be without a dad. She made her way around to the front of the car and gazed at the victim, an aura of familiarity was overcoming her. This man looked extremely familiar. It dawned on her that she hadn't gathered the name.

She felt a hand upon her shoulder and looked back at DB. "Good to see you made it, Trina. Joshua make it to the house all right?"

"Yeah, Charlie's going to throw the ball around with him a while before picking up Megan." He nodded and glanced to the victim. The rest of the team had already gathered up the majority of the findings, and the coroner was already on there with the police and paramedics. "Guess I got here a little too late."

"You're fine, Trina. I'll tell you the findings so far."

"Okay."

"Robert?" A female voice buzzed in her ear and she quickly spun around, frowning at a woman running up to the scene. Three boys were standing in the parking lot of a nearby motel. The boys varied from six to seventeen years of age. The youngest child was hugging the leg of the eldest. The woman had long brown hair and a frantic expression with tears drenching her cheeks. "Robert! No!"

_"Shit…"_ She stepped forward, extending her arms and holding the frantic woman as she attempted to go for her husband. This wasn't the first time a relative appeared on the crime scene, and it wouldn't be the last. "I need you to calm down ma'am."

"My husband! I need to hold him! Please!" The woman cupped her hand over her mouth, weeping bitterly. They didn't allow for that, since it was a possibility for the bereaved to tamper with the evidence either intentionally or unintentionally. The woman stretched her arm out, collapsing to her knees. "Robert…"

It was a shame, Robert didn't get much farther than the hotel. That means whoever killed him may have wanted him to die in the vicinity of his family. "Ma'am, I'm sorry, we can't let you in the crime scene…but if you'll step over here with me, you can help us find the person that did this to him." The woman nodded and Trina led her a few feet away, ensuring that the man's bloodied body wasn't in view. She didn't want the woman's memory of her husband to be something like this. She reassured the woman with a smile and looked over as CSI Finlay walked over to them. "Okay, what can you tell us that will help us find your husband's killer? First…name?"

"Olivia, Olivia Shapiro."

"Okay M-" Trina froze up, tensing as the woman's last name struck her. _Shapiro?_ As in _Robbie Shapiro?_ No, it couldn't be. The woman was calling him Robert. Finlay pat her arm, comforting her as Trina was trying to comfort Olivia. The CSI team knew well the names of each of Tori's friends. She'd spoken of all of them a million times. "We need confirmation that Mr. Shapiro and your family live in Texas?"

"That is correct. He's a seasoned ventriloquist and we were called to come to Vegas. He had a job to do at the Palace." Finlay started writing down the information while Trina was slowly overcoming the shock that this might actually be Robbie. "We've lived in Texas all our lives, though he would travel sometimes."

"Did you by any chance ever live in LA?"

"No…He lived there over twenty years ago. He doesn't talk too much about his time there, so I never thought to ask…" Trina closed her eyes, slowly breathing in and making sure the woman didn't notice her own terror. "Robert was a good man, he didn't have any enemies."

"Did he get involved with anything lately? Moreover, how long have you been here in LA?"

"About a week now." The woman looked over to the car, whimpering as she curled her fingers at her lips. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Now that I think about it, he did get into a fight with this one man at the casino two days ago…Jacques Nicolas. The man is a traveling magician, I think, he was trying to get Robert's spot so he could have more time in the show…I remember him saying something about how the palace is no place for a 'puppet lover'."

"I see…" Her heart clenched as her mind flashed back to twenty years ago. Robbie was one of the only ones of Tori's friends that didn't mock her all the time. Sure he had his times of joining in, but he was quiet most of the time. An honest man, apparently with a caring family. "Finlay, can you continue to console the bereaved?"

"Yeah, go get some air," Finlay replied with a subtle smile, "I'll take over from here."

Trina walked away, stepping beside DB, who was looking at the body as Morgan Brody examined for any obvious signs of struggle. "I was wondering why Nick and Sara withheld his name when I first got here." Usually the first thing anyone said when someone arrived onto the scene after the others was the name of the victim, as well as other stats. "When did you know?"

"His wallet and drivers license was on the seat beside him. He had several hundred dollars in his wallet, there are no signs of burglary." DB lifted his hand and pointed towards the car, "The shooter may have run him off the road. He has a bruise on his forehead, indicating he hit the steering wheel. We think the shooter stepped in front of the car and fired off two shots, hitting our victim in the forehead and the chest."

"The wife mentioned a name. Jacques Nicolas, traveling magician scheduled to perform at the night showing. Apparently he and Robert had a fairly heated argument two days ago about his spot in the show."

"All right, then I guess we'll be paying him a visit." DB turned to her as she studied Robbie's body. There wasn't much else to say, she couldn't believe that twenty years later, he was sitting here as a murdered victim. A painful feeling was twisting her stomach like a knife. She swallowed down the bile in her throat and closed her eyes. "Will you be all right, Trina?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I got this." She wasn't ever sickened by the job, that wasn't what was getting to her. The blood, she could handle, the death she dealt with, but this was literally the _first_ time someone from her _past_ was found. "You said Greg dealt with something like this several years ago?"

"Yeah, we all have dealt with seeing someone we have known personally. It's rough…but we're all here for you, Trina." So it was only a matter of time before she wound up seeing someone she knew? Why did that not make the pain any easier to deal with? She may not have _liked_ Tori's friends, but she never wanted any of them dead.

Her hands clenched shut as a new passion rose in her chest. Vengeance, determination. She'd been passionate about solving cases before, but most of the ones she got truly passionate about were ones that involved young children or sexual assault victims. Now this one, she had to do_ without_ letting her emotions get the better of her.

"I'll handle this professionally, but I think you know to take me off the case if I can't." DB nodded slowly and Trina took a step forward, gazing at Robbie's horrified expression. Why had he ever left LA in the first place? It didn't matter, that wasn't the part of his life she had to investigate. They needed to investigate just the last couple of weeks. "Mark my words, Robbie…I will find out who did this to you."

When she arrived home an hour later, Megan and Joshua were playing in the back yard, so they didn't see her come in. Rather, she bolted through the living room where Charlie was, and rushed into the bathroom.

The emotions of seeing Robbie after all these years were intense, but not nearly as intense as seeing him in the condition they found him. It was bad enough that he was one of those people she never _wanted_ to see again!

Nausea swirled in her, stabbing at her internal organs as she ferociously fell to her knees and gripped the edge of the toilet with tense fingers. Her throat burned as the contents of her stomach released. She felt Charlie's hand on her back as he lifted her hair away from her face with his other hand. "It's okay Trina," his voice was soothing to her, but not nearly enough.

She gagged on the last bit of bile and let her forehead drop to the rim of the toilet as tears stung her eyes. Her mind was flashing back to Tori's friends like wild fire rushing through a forest. Their hatred of her, the remarks they'd stabbed her with. They may as well have killed her, and they probably would have if she never left.

Or maybe Jade would have.

Her body trembled with intense pain, screaming out for muscular relief. She was pulled back and Charlie moved his arms around her, hugging her close and rubbing her back. "Shh, it's okay, it's all right…" She'd texted him on the way over, telling him what they found.

Usually she didn't talk about the _who_ of a murder case, but this time, she had to. "He was just _sitting _there. It took everything in me not to break down in front of his wife, in front of the team…Charlie…it's too much…"

"I know sweetheart. I know." He ran his hand through her hair and gently kissed her. His fingers groomed her hair back and his warm gaze reassured her. "You can get past this, you will. You're strong."

"I don't know if I can do this, Charlie. This case…this one…it's almost too much." He chuckled briskly and kissed her forehead once more while bringing a wet rag to her face.

"I've never heard of you turning down a case. I suppose if you had to, you could…" She shook her head. He was right, her pride wouldn't allow her to back down from this. Besides, she already promised to find the killer. "Do you have a lead already?"

"Yeah…obviously I can't disclose that, but…"

"I know. Anyway the kids are out back." She started to smile at how easily 'the kids' rolled off his tongue. He paused, realizing what he'd said. "We should go out and join them in a game of baseball or something, I think that should make you feel better?"

"Y-Yeah…how are they getting along?"

"They're practically inseparable right now."

"I see…" He helped her to stand. She held onto him as her legs started to buckle underneath her. _One step at a time._ They made their way to the kitchen where the sliding glass door led out to the back patio. Before exiting, they watched through the door as Megan and Joshua ran around the yard, laughing with one another.

Trina felt a wave of bliss starting in her heart as she studied the joyous expression on Megan's face. It was one of the happiest moments she'd seen her daughter in. Charlie opened the door and walked outside with her. "Megan, Josh, look whose home!" The children stopped and looked over, ecstatic to see her. She waved at them as they called out and ran for her, throwing their arms around her legs once they reached her, both laughing gaily. "All right kids, Mom's joining for baseball. I'll probably have to check back in on the meatloaf in the oven, though."

"Okay!" Trina was shocked by the kids taking her hands and pulling her out towards the back yard. Almost instantly the horror she'd just witnessed an hour ago was being wiped from her mind.

* * *

Well what do you think of the big emotional shock this chapter? This is the case Trina has to solve before going to LA, it'll be short compared to the serial killer case though. The two cases are unrelated.


	6. Forever Family

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 6 (Forever Family)

The back yard was an average sized, fenced in yard with a wooden fort built at the northwestern corner. There was a small swimming pool on the eastern side, it had an iron gate around it, to avoid children running and slipping into it. It also had a canopy over it, which prevented leaves and dirt from getting in from the top. The yard had several trees, which were currently being used as trees. The tree on the northern fence was first base, the tree next to the western fence right beside the fort was second base, and the shrubbery beside the patio was third base. Home was the large oak tree with a rope swing hanging from the branch.

Trina stood in the middle of the yard with the ball in hand. Megan was next to the tree, swinging the bat, and Joshua was cheering her on. "Okay Josh, if we both make it, Momma's got to pitch again. If one of us gets out, that's the one that pitches next."

Trina wagged her eyebrows as she readied the pitch. She reared her arm and smiled as Megan readied herself to bat. Megan announced she was ready, and Trina threw the ball. Megan swung, but missed. Strike one. "You can do it Megan!" Joshua called out. "Hit the ball!"

"Don't worry my brother, I will win for us. Momma will lose." Trina paused as her daughter's words imprinted themselves onto her heart. She studied Megan and Joshua with large eyes as the ball was tossed back to her. It hit her feet, but she remained frozen. Her heart pounding within her chest, yearning to hear those words again. Had she heard correct, or was her mind playing tricks on her? Megan called Joshua her brother? "Momma! Pick up the ball!"

She cleared her throat and grabbed the ball, readying another pitch. She threw it, and once more, Megan missed. The girl groaned as Joshua pat her back. "It's okay, just focus. You got this sissy." There it was again. The title hit her like electricity pulsating through her. It felt _good_, though. Rather, this whole moment was incredible for her. They were having fun, they were laughing, they were like a _family._ "Just focus hard, Meg. Hit the ball! You can do this!"

"Right! Momma, you're going down!" She couldn't help but to chuckle, the two were teaming up against her. It was adorable. Joshua tossed the ball back to her and Trina caught it in her hand. Megan buckled her knees and eyed her with a fierce intensity. The little girl's lip twisted up into a smirk. "Come on momma." Trina wagged her eyebrows and threw a strong pitch. With a shout, Megan swung her bat, crashing it hard into the ball. Trina's jaw dropped as the ball went flying towards the fort.

"Go sis go!"

"Huh?" Megan blinked, then sprang to action, "Oh!" She dropped the bat and bolted towards base. "You can't catch me, Momma!" Trina smirked and charged for the fort, the ball landed inside it. Megan grabbed the first base, then ran towards second, laughing heartedly as she was certain to win.

As Trina ran, she felt a hand on her shirt and looked down to see Joshua trying to slow her down. "Nope! Megan's going to reach base!"

"Working together against the pitcher, huh?" She reached down and tickled Joshua, causing him to laugh and fall back onto the grass, kicking his legs into the air. With that, Trina bolted up the ladder into the fort and grabbed the ball. When she turned around, she saw Megan smirking from the large oak tree. The girl was leaning against it with her palm and wagging her eyebrows. Joshua jumped up, cheering as he ran over to Megan. "Not bad, not bad at all you two…"

Returning to her post, she watched as Joshua picked up the bat and Megan gave him tips on swinging. Megan looked up to Trina and waved her hand, signaling her. "Momma, this is his first time playing baseball. Dad was just playing catch with us, so he doesn't know how to swing the bat. Can we not use the strike limit on him?"

"You sure? Josh, how would that feel for you?" Joshua quickly nodded his head. He put the bat on his shoulder, mimicking the pose that Megan had been in. Trina's heart skipped a beat as she watched the two children. He pat the bat on the ground twice as Megan had done in preparation, then returned it to his shoulder.

Megan called out when he was ready and Trina threw a pitch. Josh swung the bat a bit early and Megan ran after the ball, letting Joshua know that it was okay that he missed. When she tossed the ball back, Trina threw it again, but Joshua swung too late. This ritual continued for a couple more pitches, but Megan was keeping the young boy from getting frustrated. They were having fun, that's what mattered.

Trina was amazed to see this, and it really showed how much Megan cared for the boy. Her poem came back to mind and Trina's heart lifted up to her throat. The teacher's words came to mind. The woman was right, adoption wasn't a decision to be made lightly. For two years, the entire family, including DB, had grown extremely attached to this young boy. She'd never been so attached to a child that came in on one of her cases, and everyone picked up on that.

Fear gripped her heart as she envisioned her constant fighting with Tori. _"Megan doesn't have my social anxieties though…"_ She clenched her eyes shut and swept her brow, listening as Megan and Joshua talked about the bat and the ball. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she imagined her daughter growing up without a sibling because _she_ was the one afraid that Megan would have trouble with one. _"I do want to have another child, I care about Joshua as if he were my own…So does Charlie, and Megan gets along with him. Should I even be considering this?"_ If she did, she would have to talk to her husband, talk to DB.

"Mom! Throw the ball! Joshua's ready now!" Megan's voice pulled her from her thoughts and she turned her gaze to Joshua. She smiled lightly and tossed the ball to him. "Swing now!" He swung the bat and hit the ball, sending it all the way back to the western fence. "Go Josh, go!" The boy started running and Megan ran beside him, laughing as Trina ran for the ball.

By the time she grabbed the ball, Joshua and Megan were at third base and running for the oak tree. She ran for them, hoping to catch them before they made it. Just before she reached them, they reached safe. Joshua laughed and cheered as Trina studied the two with pride. She heard Charlie's voice from the patio and looked over with arched eyebrows. "Supper's ready, guys! Come on, let's eat!"

They kids were first to react, rushing for the house. Trina met Charlie's loving gaze and started to smile as he motioned for her to come inside. She made her way towards him and stopped at the door, watching as Joshua moved into that fourth chair at the table. Her heart skipped a beat once more as Charlie put his arm around her shoulders. "That chair is always empty, Charlie…"

"Not tonight. Tonight, we've got a full house." He kissed her right temple and walked inside. Trina's smile grew as she entered the house.

After dinner, Joshua went into the bathroom to take a bath. They used this time to call DB over, mostly because Trina wanted him there for some thoughts she'd been having lately. When he arrived at the house with his wife Barbara, Megan jumped from the couch where she was playing her video game and ran over, "Grandma! Grandpa!"

DB laughed and picked her up in his arms, hugging her close. "Well hello there Megan, your mom tells me you've been having a fun day today." Barbara cheered as well, hugging her granddaughter.

"Yeah! I came home and Joshua was here, it was amazing!"

"And where is he now?"

"Taking a bath." DB set her down and she pulled him over to the couch. Trina made her way over with Charlie. DB sat on the left cushion and Megan climbed into his lap. "I think I'm getting a bit old for this, but I don't care." He laughed happily and kept hugging her. Trina sat on the middle cushion while Charlie sat beside her, moving his arm around her shoulders. Barbara sat in the recliner, watching with her family with a cheery gaze.

"So, what can we help with?" DB asked. Trina took a deep breath and closed her eyes, uncertain how to start off. She'd been combating herself, but overall, she'd made her decision on how she felt. The question was, how would the others feel about it? She didn't want Joshua going back to that infernal orphanage where the social workers kept forgetting about him. She wanted him to be happy. She wanted this to be his _forever family_.

"Because this needs to be decided as a family." Megan raised an eyebrow and leaned against the arm of the couch while hugging her grandfather's neck still. Trina gazed into her daughter's eyes. "Megan, your teacher…she showed me a poem that you wrote…" Megan's eyebrows meshed together and her head tilted to the right. "I want you to know that you can tell me anything. Okay?"

"I know, Mommy."

"And you're right…in your poem…your aunt _is_ the reason I've been so against having another child. Even though, I wanted to have more children, I've been afraid. Am I right to infer…you're feeling lonely?" Megan loosened her grip around her grandfather's neck and started to frown.

"I don't like to say anything because I know you're always worrying about so many things. Daddy's not able to spend all day with me, neither are you, so when I'm alone…what else do I have to do? Video games get boring sometimes, and then I wish I had someone playing them with me…yes, I get lonely."

Trina reached over, hugging her daughter close. "I'm sorry, baby…If I knew you were feeling lonely, I would have done my best to give you more attention."

"That's why I don't say it, cause I don't _want_ you to worry." Megan smiled at her and lifted her shoulders. "I'm fine, mommy. I love you." Megan hugged her and Trina delighted over her daughter's words.

She pulled back a second later and swept a tear from her eyes. "Okay, well, this is something I've been thinking about for a while…" The family looked to her, each with concern and curiosity. "I want to adopt." Barbara and DB lifted their eyebrows and smiled at her and Megan gasped, her lips slowly forming a smile. "I want to have another child…and I know at forty, I'm a bit old to be having kids. I want…I want to give a child a 'forever home'…But I know it's going to take some time, effort and compassion as a family, we all have to make this decision."

"I think it's a wonderful thing," Barbara replied with a knowing glance. Charlie smiled at Trina and rubbed his chin.

"I don't _have_ to work," Charlie replied, "At least not the job I have now." In total, Trina made close to ninety grand annually, more than enough to take care of a family of four. Charlie earned a little under thirty grand annually. "I would love to be a stay at home dad. I know it's a big step for you, Trina, but the fact that you want to give another child the same love you give Megan is great. You are a great mother, and you will be a great mother for any child." Her heart lifted up and she nodded happily.

"Is it Joshua?" Megan asked, hope flickering in her eyes, "Please say it's Joshua. He's always asking about family, and I love him, he's my little brother!"

"I think we all love that kid," DB admitted, "I have to admit it's nice to see him when he comes strolling into my office. Even though he _shouldn't_ be doing that, he wants to be a part of this family, I think." Trina was amazed that everyone was supporting her decision, she loved Joshua and so did they. For the first time, this house was full. She breathed in slowly and closed her eyes.

"During dinner, it was amazing…seeing that empty chair filled and the table filled with laughter. I-Megan…" She put her hand to Megan's leg and gazed reassuringly into her eyes. "I promise Megan, I will _never_ neglect either one of you. I love you both, and you're right, he is your brother…it's just not 'official'."

"I'm not Aunt Tori, and neither is Joshua." Trina's eyebrows rose sharply as Megan climbed into her lap and threw her arms around her neck. "So maybe we might argue when we get older, don't all siblings? I'm sure we'll have friends that take up our time, but in the end, we're siblings…right? I'll always try my best to remind him, and I'm sure he will too." The speech brought a tear to her eyes, how could Megan be so wise at such an early age? "Don't be scared Momma."

"You know? I don't think I am…" She hugged Megan close, "I'm proud of you sweetheart. You know that?"

"I know, Momma. I don't want Joshua going back to that orphanage either, it's smelly there and he's not happy. At least, not like he is here." Trina nodded in understanding. It seemed the issue was settled.

"He won't be going back there, Megan. In fact, tomorrow I'm going to have a talk with that Mrs. Jones…" They heard a voice questioning what was going on. They looked over to see Joshua standing in the hallway, he was smiling as water dripped from his hair onto his clothes. Megan called out happily and Trina motioned for him to come over. "Joshua, we want to talk to you about something…"

"Okay?" Joshua moved over and climbed up into her lap with Megan. Megan threw her arms around him, hugging him tight, causing him to laugh. "What's going _on_?" Tears of joy came to Trina's eyes as she ran her fingers through his soft hair.

"Joshua…" He raised his eyebrows and put his hands to her shoulders while gazing into her eyes with a look of concern and happiness. "Would you like to be a part of this family?" He gasped, his eyes shimmering with excitement.

"What?"

"Would you like me to be your momma?" She moved her hand to her chest, then motioned to the rest of the family. "You have me, a new dad, grandparents, and of course, an older sister."

"You mean…you want to adopt me?"

"Yes." He cheered and hugged her neck, it was clear what his answer was. Trina knew that with what happened to him two years ago, they were going to have to care for him and love him as much as they could, and she knew they could do that.

"I can call you mom? Maybe?"

"Of course. I'd love that."

* * *

So, Trina will be adopting, it was inevitable. How did you like the ball game? Megan and Joshua teaming up to win the victory XD


	7. Finalizing the Deal

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 7 (Finalizing the Deal)

The next morning, Trina walked into the orphanage with Charlie and Joshua. Megan wanted to be there, but she had to be at school. Joshua was holding his head up with pride as the group made their way to the office of Mrs. Jones. They made their way in to find a woman with a stern expression and graying hair up in a tight bun. The woman gazed up with a tight-lipped smile. Her eyes gazed out through her old-style granny glasses.

Slightly intimidated, Trina took her seat at the woman's desk. Charlie sat beside her and Joshua climbed up into her lap. "Good morning Mrs. Russell. I see you brought Joshua back." The woman looked towards the boy, who was clinging to Trina's shirt as though it were his livelihood. "Do you realize how long it took me to clean up the mess in my office, Joshua?"

"Well. He won't be doing that again."

"Right, because if he does, he will be disciplined-"

"No." The woman raised her eyebrow as Trina straightened her back and brought her hand to the back of Joshua's head. She ran her fingers through his hair and smiled as he moved his head against her chest. "He won't do it again, because my family and I want to adopt him. Actually, I called his social worker, she said she was going to meet me here but she's late. She's gathering all the forms and paperwork, but I think I still have forms to sign with you?"

"Oh, yes." The woman smiled at her and started to open her desk drawer. Trina eyed her with a tone of detest, she didn't like how the woman ran the orphanage. Running kids off when they did something wrong, or letting them get out as often as they did. She worried if Joshua was ever being watched, considering he had almost every day to get out and run down to her workplace. Maybe now he wouldn't feel the need to do that. Megan was already planning on keeping him occupied at school. "Mr. and Mrs. Russell, will you be enrolling him in school with your daughter?" She nodded and Mrs. Jones pulled a document from her files in the desk. "So you will? I need to check that box then. I imagine you both work?"

"Well I work, I earn about 90 thousand annually. My husband is going to leave his job and stay at home for the kids. As for school…" She wasn't sure how exactly to deal with that, she knew Joshua couldn't enter _now_, the school year was just about over for all the kids. "He'll have to be enrolled in the fall."

"All right." His birthday, she knew was June 27th, so he would be turning seven then. That would put him in the second grade, so long as he'd been taught while at the orphanage. They were supposed to teach the kids. Megan turned ten in April, she would be going into the sixth grade. Fortunately the school system here had elementary stretching out to the eighth grade, so she'd be with Joshua at the school for a couple extra years. This gave plenty of time for them to establish themselves as siblings at the school.

"Now I trust Joshua was educated through the first grade level?" Josh nodded his head and Mrs. Jones gave her a reassuring smile while clasping her hands over the desk. The woman looked her square in the eyes, holding onto her smile.

"Of course, and I understand your concern. I am not completely ignorant, Mrs. Russell." She wanted to argue that point, but didn't see any use of doing so.

"If you say so…" Mrs. Jones scratched her bun, then leaned forward, pushing the document forward. She pointed at several lines, explaining the process.

"I need you and your husband to sign here, here, and of course here. Please state all children living in your current household, list the current financial situations of both you and your husband. If he hasn't left his job yet, he still has to put it down, regardless."

Charlie removed a pen from his chest pocket, "I am still getting a paycheck through the end of this month." Trina took a pen from the small cup of pens on the woman's desk and studied the paper closely.

"Okay. I also need you to list the school you intend to enroll Joshua in. Put down your living arrangements, and anything else that's highlighted." She did as instructed. Joshua squirmed excitedly, putting his hands on the desk and eyeing the document with bright eyes.

The door opened up and a blonde haired woman entered the room, "Sorry I'm later than I wanted to be," She said. The group looked up at the sharply dressed woman holding a briefcase. Social Worker Vivian Francis, and of course, she had to officiate the documents that Trina and Charlie were signing. She pat herself down and sighed, "Traffic is hectic out there."

"It's all right Vivian," Trina replied, "We're just filling out the adoption paperwork now." Vivian nodded and unstrapped her purse and moved beside Trina. She looked to Joshua and waved at him.

"Hey Joshua, you excited about getting adopted?"

"Yeah!" Joshua exclaimed with jubilee, "My forever family. I have a sister too! A sister, mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, as well as cousins…" Trina felt a brush of guilt over the realization that all of the extended family was on Charlie's side. Joshua, much like his sister, didn't know _anyone_ on her side. She brushed it off and closed her eyes, figuring that it was perhaps best not to bring it up. Like Megan, he would probably want to know them.

"I'm happy for you!" Vivian crooned. Having met Vivian a couple times before, Trina had come to understand that she was a sweetheart. Of course, she made people like Mrs. Jones fade away. It was because Vivian was such a nice lady and a sharp social worker that she often dealt with the most children. That being said, she got overloaded and overworked just as anyone else would, and therefore some of the children she would be taking care of had to stay at an orphanage until she was able to get to them and get them adopted. Vivian leaned forward, patting her hands on her knees and smiling brightly at the young boy. "I think you'll be very happy with the Russell family, Joshua." Trina's heart skipped a beat as Joshua threw his arms in the air and chimed back at the woman.

"I am happy! My new big sis is at school right now, she wanted to be here but couldn't. You got stuck in traffic Miss Vivian?"

"Yes I did." Vivian frowned, then smiled once more, tapping Joshua lightly on the nose. "But I got here, I wouldn't want to miss your adoption for the world." Trina and Charlie exchanged glances. She reached over and took his hand, sighing as he gave her a gentle squeeze.

She had to wonder, why wasn't Vivian the social worker in charge of this orphanage? She would do much better than the old crab working here. Sadly the business world was a shrewd one, and in life if you weren't shrewd and assertive, you were going to get stepped on and knocked off your pedestal.

As if reading her mind, Joshua piped up with the question, "Why don't you run the orphanage, Miss Viv?" Mrs. Jones raised an eyebrow and Trina glanced at the women awkwardly, now she just wanted to hurry up and leave. Vivian tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and glanced over to Mrs. Jones before looking back.

"You think I should work here, Joshua?"

"You're much nicer than mean old Mrs. Jones! She wouldn't let me come back yesterday! If it wasn't for the Russell's, I might still be on the street!" Vivian covered her mouth and Mrs. Jones began to rush Trina to finish signing the documents. Trina, on the other hand, merely leaned back and tried to resist smirking.

_"Well this bodes to be entertaining."_

Vivian tucked an eyebrow up and straightened herself, glancing at Mrs. Jones and frowning. Her scowl lines deepened and a wrinkle formed on her brow, making her appear closer to her actual age. She was in her early forties, but appeared to be in her thirties. "Why would you do that, Francine? The children here are your priority."

"I-uh…" The woman stuttered to find her words, but it seemed clear she wasn't thinking of anything at all. "He made a mess of my office and ran off to the Mrs. Russell's place of work." Vivian set her briefcase on the desk and opened it up, removing her notepad and a silver pen. She began writing, sighing and shaking her head.

"I have to report you again, I see. Have you ever considered retirement? It's clear you're not doing this job for the children anymore if you let them leave the area, don't go after them, and decide cleaning your office is more important than getting a child back safely. I mean, the nerve! God bless the Russell's, I don't know what I'd do if something happened to Joshua because of an incompetent orphanage runner." She stopped writing and lowered her pen, flicking a now sharp gaze at the woman. Mrs. Jones winced under her glare and closed her eyes. "You know he's been through two foster families after seeing his own dad killed? I want this child in a good _happy_ place, he deserves every bit of love and care that he can get! Every child here deserves it."

As Vivian continued to give Mrs. Jones the riot act, Trina went ahead and finished filling out the paperwork with Charlie. They did not want to antagonize the situation any more than it already was. Besides, she was going to have enough stress as it was when she got back to work, she still had to question the French magician in the case of Robert Shapiro's murder. That alone was enough to stress her out far too much.

After the paperwork was filled out and everything situated, Vivian filed it all away in a personal folder. Her smile returned to her face, giving back the youthful look she once had, while Mrs. Jones merely sulked back like a scolded child.

"Now it'll take a couple days to process all of this, but I have no doubts whatsoever about your eligibility to adopt, Mr. and Mrs. Russell. That being said, Joshua won't be staying here, he can go home with you." Usually the child would have to wait until everything was official, so this was a bit of a surprise to Trina. Mrs. Jones hesitated for a minute, before Vivian's prior glare returned and she held out her hand to the woman. "Francine. The release papers, please." The woman grumbled and pulled the papers from the desk and held them up to Vivian. Vivian swiped them and smiled at the family. "Here you go, fill this out and I'll make some copies of everything."

This social worker was frightening, Trina liked it though. She always admired the strong, empowered woman who could stand up for the right thing. Which, of course, was more than she could say for a lot of people out there.

Trina graciously took the documents and began to fill them out, sealing the deal. After this, it was time to get back on the job. First, of course, she was going to have to go home with Charlie and Joshua. Maybe they could get the family together, Charlie's family that is. Joshua would likely enjoy meeting them all.

She was going to do everything in her power to make him happy, just as she did with her daughter. It was important in a family to love each other, to trust each other and help them through the difficult times. As a mother of two, she was _not_ going to let herself slip up where her parents did.

* * *

Social worker lady kinda scares me XD. Well, it's official, the papers just have to be processed, but Joshua is a part of the family for sure


	8. Investigation, Robbie Shapiro

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 8 (Investigation)

"Let me put it to you this way," DB stated bluntly as he and Trina walked through _The Palace_. They were discussing his retirement, once again, and why he won't just retire. With the amount of grandchildren he had now, it would be worth his benefit. "The chances of me retiring are equal to the chances of you going to LA to see your family again."

"Touché." Granted, she didn't want to say she'd never see them again. Maybe when she felt better towards them, but then, she'd been saying _that_ for years. "You know, DB, back in college sometime, my dad found out where I was going to college at. I guess it wouldn't have been hard to figure it out. He tried to call me, but I told him when I answered the phone, I still wanted nothing to do with them…Is it so wrong of me to be so avoidant?"

"They _are_ your family after all."

"Yeah, and they say you can't choose your family." She wasn't a firm believer in that quote. It seemed like Joshua 'chose' his family. Trina scanned the surrounding area until she came across a tall man with a handlebar mustache and a blue top hat. He bore a long silk cape that matched his blue tuxedo. Having found their target, she motioned for DB to follow and made her way towards the magician. The man looked to the two of them with a bright smile, but Trina hardly skipped a beat. "Jacques Nicolas?"

"Yes? How may I help you?" The man tucked his hand into his tux and pulled out a bouquet of roses. Trina glanced at them through her shades, then shrugged her shoulders, not bothering with a smile. She didn't care for flowers. The man frowned and lowered the bouquet. "Not the floral type?"

"Not entirely. We're with homicide, we'd like to talk about a fellow stage worker, Robert Shapiro, the ventriloquist." Jacques's eyebrows meshed together, forming a crease on his brow as his face sunk. "He was found in his car, not far from his hotel." Jacques rubbed his chin and hummed a light tune.

"Am I under arrest?"

"That's yet to be determined. His wife singled you out for an argument that you and Robert had a couple days ago. Care to tell us about that?" Jacques closed his eyes, exhaling softly as he motioned the detectives to follow. They walked out of earshot of the public, where the man folded his arms and slowly nodded his head.

"We _did _argue over a timeslot. I don't believe puppeteers are genuine entertainment, just grown men playing with dolls. We reached an agreement though, fellow performers are allowed to share the stage. He was going to center the puppet's jokes around my act, and I'd involve him in his act."

"Was it a disappearing act? Plan on making him disappear so you can have the stage?" Jacques put his hand to his chest and breathed in, speaking out dramatically.

"Detectives. I may be a mean-spirited man at times, I'll admit that, and I may not like when I don't get my way, but I am _no murderer!_ I wouldn't lower myself to such a degree of ruffians." Trina started to ponder if pompous behavior was contagious. This man spoke like an asshole, but the look in his eyes was almost genuine. More investigation was necessary. He lowered his hand and frowned at the duo, "I am truly sorry to hear about Robert's death. I will honor him in my act…"

"Just don't leave town," DB remarked.

"Ah yes, I understand the law. Suspect everyone, don't take their word alone." Jacques glanced past them and they followed his gaze towards the bar. "Robert was married, no?" Trina nodded and folded her arms, narrowing her eyes. Was this guy about to suggest Robbie stepping out on his wife? He was the last person she'd expect to do such a thing. Then again, people change in twenty years. "The past couple of days I've seen Robert at the bar with this blonde woman. They seemed to be arguing whenever they were around, he was tense and would push her away when she put her arms around him. I asked him, as a matter of fact, who this woman was. He replied, she was a 'mistake'."

"Okay. Thank you, Jacques. We'll be in touch."

"Thank you, and please, find the person who did this to Mr. Shapiro." The man bowed respectfully and started to smile as he lifted the bouquet once more. She shook her head and he shrugged his shoulders. "It was worth a shot."

Trina's world stood still as she tried to think of Robbie having an affair. The scenario Jacques gave was synonymous with what she'd seen several times over the course of her career. A victim, usually shot down by a jilted lover. Maybe they didn't want to leave their family, maybe they didn't want to lie.

"Suppose he was having an affair, DB?"

"We have someone else to question." They made their way to the bar where the bartender was washing out a glass with a rag. He looked up to the two and asked what he could get for them. "We need a name or a description. Do you know a Robert Shapiro?" The bartender set the glass down and brought his palms to rest on the bar.

"Yes, he was often here. He'd get vodka, usually Grey Goose." Trina's eyebrows lifted as she did a double take, she never pictured Robbie to be a drinker. Perhaps it was guilt drinking? Maybe he wasn't happy in his current relationship? "He's not been around here lately."

"He's dead." The man's jaw dropped and he quickly cleared his throat. "We need to ask a couple questions."

"Anything to help."

"Right. A woman was seen with him on multiple occasions-"

"Ah yes, Lucy Mave, usually orders a gin and tonic. I know all my customers." The bartender grabbed up another dirty drink and began to wash it out. "As a bartender, you hear a lot of crazy stories whether intentional or accidental. Turns out, this Lucy was his girlfriend. She was a young thing to, looked about twenty-eight to thirty." Trina's stomach flipped and nausea struck like a hurricane. She was astonished and appalled to think Robbie would have had an affair with someone so _young_. Granted, only ten years his junior, but it was still wrong.

"What can you tell us about that?" Trina asked, "They argue?"

The man's gaze lifted up to hers and he quickly nodded his head. "All the time. I believe she followed him to Vegas. She wanted him to leave his wife, but he refused." She resisted an eye roll, of course Robbie would choose to be noble _then_. She remembered all the times in the past, he'd use Rex as an excuse to be a lecher, but apparently now it wasn't the case. "He called it off with her the day before yesterday, told her he wanted nothing more to do with her."

"Thank you, do you know where we can find her?"

"I believe she informed Robert to look for her at the Pelican Motel. Is there anything else I can be of assistance with?" Trina couldn't think of anything else at the moment to ask him, and DB didn't seem to have anything. They thanked the man for his time and started to walk off, this new information was intriguing. Though, it made Trina sick to have to find out the innermost secrets of someone she personally knew several years ago.

"I never thought I'd be investigating one of _them_, DB." Her father-in-law looked up at her with a subtle frown. She swept her hand over her forehead and sighed. "I never intended to see any of them again, and that was just _living_. Twenty years later one of them dies practically in my own backyard?" At least notification of kin was done, Robbie's parents probably knew by now thanks to his wife. She wasn't wanting to deal with that. "You know what? I always thought he'd go on to be with Cat."

"Who? I mean, which one of them is that?"

"Mental girl with long red hair."

"Oh. Those two were an item?"

"Not quite, or maybe they were, it was hard to tell. She was an odd type it seemed…sometimes she would string him along, other times she'd freak out if he tried to ask her out or something."

"Strange."

"Yep. Tori's friends, right? They all had their flaws and blossoming personality issues. Wouldn't be shocked if one of them came out being a gambler." She chuckled nonchalantly as the image of her sister's friends came to her mind. Of all of them, she wondered about Jade. That girl was the scariest of all of them.

When they returned to their office, Trina decided to see if Greg had any information for her. When she arrived, she saw him studying a familiar old puppet with black curly hair. She froze, half expecting the puppet to look at her and say something. His mouth was wide open, but he was motionless. She put her hand to her head and shook her head, why would she expect an inanimate object to talk? It was always Robbie, he always did it for attention.

"I can't believe he still has that dumb thing. Surely _that_ isn't the expensive puppet." Greg looked over to her with a curious gaze. She moved over to him, glaring down at the puppet. "Rex, that's what Robbie called him twenty years ago. I thought it was said he had an expensive puppet?"

"He does, there were two puppets in the car. This one was found in the front seat though." Greg lifted the puppet up, smirking at it. "Aw if only they could talk for real, the stories they'd tell. This guy is our only witness to what happened."

"Yeah…" She rubbed the back of her head, still feeling Rex's cold gaze on her. Why was she so worked up over a dumb puppet? She looked towards it and frowned at what appeared to be a missing eye. "That thing…"

"Yeah?"

"Robbie carried it everywhere with him back in the day. Treated it as if it were another person entirely, but everyone knew it was just Robbie trying to get attention. He once was thrown into a wood chipper by my little sister, and then, he was repaired."

"Ouch."

"Have you found anything yet?" Greg lowered the puppet and pointed to a small slip of paper. Trina looked to it and raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"

"That was found stuffed away in the puppet's mouth." She glanced at the word scribbled onto it. _Past._ "Probably the last thing Robert ever wrote, moments before he was shot. It must mean something?"

"Maybe someone from his past, or maybe he died because of his past?"

"Possible, still working on it."

"Well, tell us any of your findings."

"Will do." She took one last glance at Rex, then turned away. She didn't want to have to deal with seeing that puppet again, and it was almost too much to hear Greg say the puppet was a 'witness' to the murder.

"I think I'd rather deal with the serial killer…"

* * *

Careful what you wish for, Trina. Well the investigation of Robert Shapiro's murder is underway, what will be discovered and who was the victim here?


	9. Crazy, but Clean

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 9 (Crazy, but Clean)

Trina made her way to the door of Lucy Mave's motel room, with Finlay in tow this time around. DB had been called on some extra evidence regarding the serial killer's case. Trina had made it her goal currently to strive for the killer of Robbie, then she would return to the serial case. She was hoping, praying, another victim would not appear. "We don't have enough for an arrest yet," Finlay muttered. "It would be nice to find the weapon."

"The ballistics belong to a 9 millimeter. The only thing we have so far is the word 'past' scribbled possibly moments before Robert was shot." They actually had a video too, but it wasn't much. Apparently Robbie installed a hidden camera behind one of Rex's eyes, probably to record his own ventriloquist acts. All the video picked up in Robbie's final moments, however, was the initial car crash. After that, static, and of course, Rex was face down on the seat. It was hard for Trina to see his final moments, and the scene, as well as his last scream before the gunshots echoed over in her head.

"I'm sorry you had to find one of your friends like this."

"He wasn't my friend. He was never my friend, none of them were. They were all _Tori's_ friends." Finlay frowned and slowly nodded her head. Trina didn't mean to sound cold, she honestly cared about the fact that Robbie was dead, it still stung. The case was affecting her at home too, which was horrible considering she wasn't herself and she just adopted. It wasn't affecting her relationship with her family, she was just a bit more downtrodden and listless. Megan and Joshua were too preoccupied with playing outside to worry, but Charlie was always at her side. "Yet it still freaks me out to see him on Paul's examination table, and to see Greg with that damn puppet."

"It stings because you knew him, Trina. Friend or not, you knew him at some point of time in your life. The world isn't as big as people say it is, you run into someone from your past at some point of time in life, that's just the way it works. I can run into someone I knew from childhood all the way across the country. It's bound to happen."

"Yeah. I know I reserved myself to find Robbie's killer, but I still think I'd rather work the serial killer case." Surely _that_ wouldn't have anything to do with someone from her past, right? "What sucks about that case is it could be anyone, anywhere. It's almost significant that the killer is simply vacationing."

"Well think about the place the victims are usually found. Usually within the vicinity of a popular casino and bar, right, and a place where celebrities so often vacation to?" _El Salón Rojo. _It was Las Vegas's most popular and famous casino in today's day and age. Celebrities, socialites, anyone who was somebody would show up from all parts of the _world_. It was always a smoky atmosphere with music, dancing, gambling, and alcohol. You name it, _El Salón Rojo _was it. Built in the early 2000's, it was just barely getting its name out there. Fifteen years later, some famous actor paid a hefty sum for what was their favorite place, and that gave it a name and a purpose. Not only was it for the wealthy and the stars, it was open to even the poor. In 2020, it was named America's number one hotspot.

"That doesn't narrow it down too much, the killer could still be anyone at all."

"Right, but it's just important to remember. Anyway, let's focus on the case we're working on." Finlay pat Trina's shoulder and reassured her with a comforting smile. "You'll be all right?"

"Sure." They knocked on Lucy's door and listened with amusement as Lucy let out an excited squeal from inside. The woman called out, thinking they were Robert. When she opened the door moments later, she was in black lingerie and had a look of seduction that flashed away the second they saw they weren't Robert. Trina smirked, taking this as a sign Lucy _probably_ didn't kill him. Yet, they still had to treat her as a possible suspect. "Not quite."

"You're police? He didn't file a restraining order did he?" She raised an eyebrow at the woman and shook her head. "Then what's the problem? Did the bitch of a wife do it? I knew he was going to tell her!" Trina and Finlay exchanged concerned glances and once more shook their heads. The girl leaned against the doorframe and let out a defeated sigh. "Okay, so it's not a restraining order, he didn't tell his wife, what is it? Is he okay?"

"Well I don't know if he told his wife or not, but we have a few questions for _you_, Miss Mave. May we come inside?" Lucy gasped and stepped to the side, motioning for them to enter.

"Come in, come in!"

"Thank you." The first thing Trina noticed upon entering was the amount of luggage strewn about the room. A sour smell came to her nostrils, causing her eyes to roll into the back of her head as a shudder ran down her spine. Did this woman not know how to _clean?_ "Okay…I'm just going to start slowly here." She put her hands to her hips and stared around the room. "The bartender at The Palace overheard some information saying you _followed_ Robert here and that he ended things with you when you wanted him to leave his wife?"

Lucy laughed and waved her hand through the air, "Oh he's just being silly. I know Robert loves me, he wouldn't willingly break up with me. We're meant to be together!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." She turned around to face Lucy, struggling to ignore the smell. In the corner of her eyes she saw Finlay gagging. Lucy's expression fell and worry filled her eyes. "Robert is dead, Lucy…"

"What? No!" She fell to her knees and shook her head, holding her hands over her mouth as she screamed. "Oh god, no! He can't be! He can't be! Y-You're lying, tell me you're lying!"

"I'm sorry…" Trina bent down on one knee and put her hand to Lucy's shoulders. Lucy met her gaze and whimpered, her body trembling like a California earthquake. "Someone crashed his car and killed him, they shot him…that being said, we need to confirm where you were May 2nd at 11:15 AM." Lucy covered her mouth and bowed her head.

"I-I was here…waiting for him." Trina leaned back momentarily and looked up to Finlay. She had a bad feeling about this. She had to leave her personal bias at the door, she'd seen a million times these 'secret rendezvous' between a victim and the other lover. "He was yelling at me on the phone, telling me how I shouldn't be calling him. He told me he was on his way over, but he never showed up…I had a hot bath and everything ready for him."

Lucy started to get up and move towards her phone on the end table. Trina pushed herself up with a grunt and waited as Lucy frantically pulled up her call log. "See, this is it, proof that I was here. I uh, I recorded the conversation too."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's just…" She started to blush, lowering her phone. "I record all our conversations together."

"Can we see that phone, then?" Finlay asked while putting on a latex glove. Lucy gladly handed over the phone. The older detective smiled at her and clutched the phone firmly in her hand. "Thank you, we'll be sure to give this back to you as soon as we can. Is there anyone around here that can confirm you were here?"

"Yes. I…called room service because I thought Robert and I…" Lucy moved her hand to her forehead, swooning for a second as she sat on the bed. "I can't believe he's dead. I _loved_ him. This has to be a nightmare. Just a bad dream."

Trina turned away and began heading towards the door, muttering to herself, "I wish it was."

At the lab, Trina sat as Morgan analyzed the recordings on the phone. Indeed there were at least a year's worth of recordings, ranging from innocent to sexual, then towards a more angered tone.

She noted major instances leading up to the current date. It started as an innocent meeting after Robert got into a fight with his wife, then the calls escalated to nightly romps and so on. Lucy was crazy throughout the entire ordeal it seemed. Then a few months prior to the current date was a phone conversation where Robbie explicitly ended the relationship, telling her what they had should never have happened and to never call her again. She continued the calls, flirting with him and harassing him.

The final call was placed at 11:10 AM on May 2nd.

_"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me? Stop following me? Leave my family alone for god sake!"_ Trina tensed hearing Robbie's voice, it still sounded the same as it did twenty years ago. _"I'm sick of you screwing around. I'm never leaving my wife, I love my wife and my sons, and I wouldn't leave them for some twenty something fresh off the streets!"_

_ "But Robert, please! I know you don't mean those words. We're meant to be, don't you see? That bitch is nothing to you. Does she even know about us?"_

_ "Of course not, because I'm done with you! I've already been in bad water with her before, I don't need to go through this shit with her again because of you. I'm going to do my performance act with Jacques, then I'm going back to Texas with my wife, and after that, I never want to see your face again. Got that?"_

_ "Robert. I'm going to be terse, and I don't like to. But if you keep talking down to me, I'm telling your wife about us."_

_ "What? Goddamn it, fine, I'm coming over there right now!"_

"She's nuts," Morgan sounded annoyed one the calls ended, but at the same time, relieved she didn't have to hear more of the conversation. The words were fierce, abrupt, but they gave Trina ideas.

"Yes, but if she's not anything, it's a murderer. She wouldn't have had time to go from that motel to the crime scene within the five minutes that call was placed. Also, we know from seeing Jacques's alibi that he was with his assistant around that time."

Although they found that 'with' was an understatement, at approximately 11:20, as per what his assistant said, they were finishing an act of lovemaking. "We still have the wife and her sons, and I wonder if that bartender might have been involved in any way?"

"I doubt the bartender, but it seems like the wife would be the next to talk to. At least…she needs to know what her husband was doing."

"Right…" She knew that wasn't going to be easy. It was hard enough for Trina to stomach what Robbie had done herself, and she barely knew the guy. She swept her fingertips along her brow and closed her eyes. "Who exactly did I let my sister be friends with?"

"Twenty _years ago_."

"I know, I know…"

* * *

Seems like a good talk at the beginning, and we know the mistress evidently is innocent. Whoever did the deed might have actually saved her life for all we know, by the sound of that recorder. What are your thoughts on the case? Have you any thoughts on the culprit? Trina's last line in there, I won't give anything away but I'll admit, Robbie's the least worrisome friend she's about to find that out.


	10. Years of Pain and Guilt

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 10 (Years of Pain and Guilt)

_Tori, I know it's been many years, but Beck and I want to invite you to our son's birthday party this Saturday. We're inviting gang, so maybe we can try and fix whatever went wrong. I hope you'll consider. –Jade and Beck Oliver._

Tori held the card in her hand, trembling as tears stung her eyes. She wanted to go, she wanted to see them, but at the same time, there was an old animosity in her heart that was returning like the bile up her throat. To her right on the couch was her daughter, Katrina. To the left, her aging father. Andre was in the recliner, tapping his foot gently on the floor. There was a coldness in his eyes, one that had been there for a while now. Her depression, along with his alcohol issues was rapidly destroying their marriage.

"I know I said I never wanted to see them again," she whispered as teardrops fell onto the card. This card tore the band-aid that was covering the pain of losing Trina. Still she blamed them, she blamed herself. It was part of that blame that made her distant from Andre, as he too was partially responsible for Trina's leaving. "That was fifteen years ago, right? It's been fifteen years since I talked to any of them?"

"Yeah," Andre responded. He and David had been watching the news. For some reason, David had been insistent on watching news going on in Las Vegas. He never talked about it. "I mean it's up to you if you want to go. I don't think I'd want to see them as much as you wouldn't want to…There's a lot of bad blood there." Of course, who could forget the destruction of their friendships?

_Nineteen years ago, an intense fight broke out amongst the group. "What are you blaming us for?" Jade screamed, throwing her hands in the air. "It's not our fault your sister quit you guys!" Cat and Robbie shot a look at Jade, then averted their gaze.  
_

_ "Actually no, it is!" Tori cried, tears streaming down her face. She glared at all of them surrounding the table, her shoulder strap slid down onto her arm and she quickly pushed it back up. Her heart was racing and her body ached from continual screaming. "The police don't care about a twenty year old woman who told her family she's leaving. She's leaving because you all continually assaulted her."_

_ Beck smacked his hands on the table, pushing himself up, "You're not blameless in this, Tori!" His voice boomed over the others. She froze in place as his dark eyes glared out at her. "She was your sister, so maybe you should have stood up for her a little, huh?" She gasped out and covered her mouth. This was the biggest fight any of them ever had with one another. She loved her sister, but where Trina thought she lived in her shadow, was truly the other way around.  
_

_ Cat had her hands over her ears and was making random noises in attempt to shut the others out. Robbie and Andre weren't reacting to anything going on. Robbie's face was tense and his hands were grasping tightly to his knees. "Maybe you should have thought about your sister before letting all of us walk over her? Maybe?"_

_ "I just wanted to be accepted, that's it! I didn't know what any of you guys would think, none of you liked Trina."_

_ "Since when does that excuse anything?" Robbie asked with a bitterness lacing his tone. Why were these people giving her the riot act? They were the ones that attacked Trina all the time! "None of us are innocent in this, and I honestly hope she has a good life somewhere." He started to rise from the table and pointed to each of the group. "Because I can assure you, _none_ of you will have good lives after this. I think the guilt, and other things, will eat away at you." He folded his arms and shook his head. "Either way, I'm done. I'm done with all of you. None of you are willing to accept responsibility for running Trina off, and every one of you are full of shit. It'll be a cold day in hell I see any of you again…"_

_ "Well you'll still be with Cat," Jade pointed out. "I mean after all, she-"_

_ "She doesn't want me the fuck around." He moved his hand through the air, scoffing mildly. Tori meshed her brow and looked to Cat. The girl lowered her hands and was now gazing at Robbie, starting to avert her eyes. _

_ "It's because of that dumb puppet of yours," Cat muttered, "I don't think you'd make a good father…I mean…" He rolled his eyes and shook his head, clearly he'd been struggling with this for a while now. By now, they all knew Cat was pregnant, she and Robbie had spent some 'quality' time together in nothing but their underwear. Of course, that led to temptation, which led to the obvious. _

_ "That's just it. She doesn't want me around, doesn't want me freaking out our-oh I'm _sorry her_ fucking kid. I don't want to be around any of_ you_, so it's a win-win situation!" He grabbed Rex from the table and waved his hand in the air, muttering in his anger. "Fuck you assholes…" His words stung Tori's heart, and once more, she questioned if she was the reason he was leaving. Just like Trina, she'd pushed someone else away._

_ "I ruin everything," Tori whimpered, "I ruin everything!" Andre looked up at her and rose from his seat, reaching out to pat her back. She turned away from him, then proceeded to hurry off. She could feel their glares burning her, destroying her. _

"I want to see them, Momma," Katrina smiled. David looked away from them, scoffing as Trina lowered the card. She was still unsure whether it would be the right thing. Would any of the others bother showing up? Robbie had been clear when he said he was done with them. "They have a son, maybe he's my age?"

"Their son? I suppose…" She only knew based off the celebrity status that they had a son who was thirteen years old. His name was Zach.. They had a daughter who was turning four, her name was Lauren. "Lauren is closer to your age, but even still you're in the middle, sweetie. Their son is thirteen, I think, and their daughter is four."

"Okay, five year difference then, right Momma?"

"Yes. I guess we can go, but…" She was frightened, and everything inside her was telling her to stay away from them. "They were a bad influence when I was younger, baby. So…we need to be careful." She looked to the television, sighing as a news story appeared regarding the closing of another case.

The reporter was asking a white haired man about a different case though, "Mr. Russell, you're the lead reporter for the case of this serial killer correct? Have you and your team deviated from that investigation?"

"No ma'am," he replied, "We work many investigations at the same time."

"Are you any closer to solving this?"

"We get a little closer each day. My team is hard at work, and will be until we solve this…"

"Sir, another question we have is will you be retiring anytime soon? You're one of the city's top investigators, but aren't you getting up there in years?" Russell flashed a smile and shrugged his shoulders.

"My daughter in law works for me, she and the team have been asking the same stuff. She wants to head the team after I retire, but that's going to have to wait. We have a serial killer to catch."

She sighed at the screen, the news was always depressing, and sometimes scary. With this serial killer stuff, she almost wanted to be concerned, but was thankful that it was in Vegas and not LA. "Turn that off, Dad, there's nothing in Vegas." Tori struck the remote and David shrugged his shoulders. "Why don't you come with us to Jade's son's party?"

"Doesn't seem like something you'd involve yourself in," David replied. This was true, Tori didn't really want to be involved with these former friends of hers, but it couldn't hurt to see what everyone was up to now. "I think I'll stick around here. I have no reason to show up there."

"You can't just stay stuck in the house for the rest of your life, Dad."

"I leave…There's just nowhere to go."

"So come with us, maybe you'll meet someone new?"

Katrina climbed into David's lap and grinned into his eyes, "Please, Granddad will you come? I'm going to be so _bored_ with mom and all the old adults!" Tori blinked several times and Andre snickered.

"Jade and Cat do have kids, children will be there."

"Oh I know, and that'll be a plus." Katrina didn't get to play with other kids that much, she seemed to have her sister's social anxieties. Moreover, _her_ social anxieties. It was Trina that pushed her into getting in Hollywood Arts, after all.

For years, she wished Hollywood Arts never came into their lives. It ruined her, ruined everything she ever loved and held dear. Before that infernal school, she and Trina were practically inseparable! Well, to that extent, perhaps she clung to Trina too much. Hollywood Arts came along, she found friends, and could be independent.

Then, she forgot Trina. Her friends became a higher level than the sister who protected her through elementary school. Always the innocent and naïve one, Tori had been a constant victim of the bullies at school. Her lunch money had been stolen, she'd been shoved into the school pond, off the jungle gym, and several other things. That all stopped when her big sister showed up one day and smacked those bullies around.

After Trina stood up for her, nobody ever dared to endanger her. Everyone said Trina was the crazy big sister that would wreck them all if they ever hurt Tori or made fun of her.

So why did that change? Why did she go from needing Trina every day and clinging to her like she was her only source of protection, to one day making fun of her sister and making Trina feel _worthless?_ Why couldn't they have reminded her or let her know, the truth was _she _was the favorite. Tori knew David cared more for Trina than he did her, though he always said he never chose favorites. She just _knew_. But she could never be jealous of her sister, she loved her too much, and missed her for far too long. _  
_

Tori 'go-with-the-flow' Vega, that's what she thought people ought to call her. She had still been naïve, still been the same girl on the playground wanting attention from the bigger kids who could put her down in an instant if she didn't comply with them.

"Thank you can handle it?" Andre asked while taking a swig of a Miller Lite bottle. Tori's face went sour and she turned away from him, disgusted when he drank in front of their daughter. Some days, it frightened her.

Hell, his drinking was the whole reason she sought so hard to convince her father to move in with her. He'd grown into an angry over the years, all the guilt and regret in his life boiling up and releasing whenever he got drunk. With her father there, Andre drank less, but it was still clear he would sneak out and have a drink or two. He was charming at his job, though, and nobody would even know he had a drinking problem.

"Yeah, I think I can handle it, Andre."

"Good, cause I think I'll stick around here. I don't care to see any of them."

"Fine."

At the party, the Oliver mansion was filled with balloons and children. Katrina stood beside her mom, holding onto her hand. Tori smiled lightly as Katrina studied the kids. "Why don't you go play with the children, Katrina?" The girl nodded and scratched her sandy brown curls. She looked like a young Shirley Temple, but with brown hair. It was adorable. Katrina smiled up at her mom, her dimples deepening as she ran off to the children.

"Vega!" Jade's voice called out. She turned to see the woman in a long black dress with a glass of red wine in her hands. Jade had shoulder length brown hair and a pleasant smile that distracted from the mystery in her eyes. "I didn't think you'd show up."

"Well, I guess I figured it was worth a try…" She moved towards Jade and looked to the table on her right, it had several glasses and a large bottle of wine. "Anyway, it's Harris now. Andre and I married…" Jade gasped and began to smile as Tori turned away from the drinks. "We're having some difficulty though."

"Oh? Why?"

"Just…a lot of things boiling up." Jade brought her glass to her lips and closed her eyes as she sipped the drink. "I mean, he's become an obsessive drinker, we've been fighting a lot…I think the fights started when I…I messed up one day a couple years ago. Got drunk myself and had a one night stand…" Jade's eyes shot open and her eyebrow arched up high. She lowered the drink and Tori quickly breathed in, shaking her head. "We've moved past that, I think. Times are rough."

"I know how that feels." Jade pat her shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "It's okay though. If it's any consolation, Beck's a compulsive gambler! In fact, right now even he's out back with some poker friends of his, probably gambling away a couple grand."

Suddenly an arm shot out and landed around Jade's shoulders, she jumped and Tori glanced over to see Beck standing beside her with a bright smile, "On the contrary, love. I've been here the whole time!" His deep laugh soothed the nerves within Tori, but even still, she couldn't stand being here. She wanted to throw herself out the door and charge away. "Glad to see you made it, sucks to hear that about Andre though…We tried contacting Robbie…" Beck didn't look different either, like Jade. He was a little less tan, though Jade was a bit more tanned now. His hair was still long and looked like a young Nicolas Cage. His eyes _still_ had the shady and brooding look to them.

"We never found him." Jade groaned and shut her eyes, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, we found his address. Apparently he was living in Texas. Tried calling a few times this last week, but never got an answer."

"I wonder if he knows it's you?" Tori had to ask, even though it was unlikely. In the corner of her eyes, she saw a flash of red. Cat was walking in with her teenage son. She had her hair cut short, in between her chin and her shoulders. Her forehead had creases on them and her eyes held a degree of sorrow. When Tori looked to the girl's eyes, they seemed a tiny bit bloodshot, which was odd.

Her son was tall and a image of Robbie when he was younger. Only, his hair was shorter, the son had thinner glasses, and was without a puppet on his hand. "He-ey!" Cat exclaimed happily, as if there were no tension between the friends whatsoever.

It was there, and it would always be there. Tori saw them all in different lights now, she didn't trust a single one of them. They were demons to her, or perhaps, they were her demons? Their group felt incomplete without Robbie or Andre there, but she understood why the two men might not want to be here.

After all, these were the people that singlehandedly helped run off the single most important person in her life. These were the people who destroyed her family. She carefully grabbed a glass and let Jade pour her some wine, after thanking the woman, she sipped nonchalantly and eyed the group of her _former_ friends. All she wanted to do was see what they'd been up to, but now, she was regretting her choice to even be here.

* * *

Thoughts my friends?


	11. Many Secrets

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 11 (Many Secrets)

"So what have you guys been up to?" Tori and the others had found a nice place in the back of the mansion away from all the kids. Jade's children were more than capable of handling the party, and Cat's son was supervising all of them so that the adults could have their time in private. They were all seated on a red sectional that took up two long walls. Jade and Beck were on the middle cushion, Beck's arm around her shoulders. Cat sat to Jade's right, and Tori on Beck's left. Even still, Tori wasn't sure how comfortable she was with this meeting. There was something that just wasn't sitting right with her, and she had no idea what that was. Maybe it was the fact that neither Robbie nor Andre wanted to show up?

She didn't want to talk about her own life, though she knew it was going to happen. Recently, she'd rejected the antidepressants, but was beginning to experience the withdrawal of coming off them. She knew they weren't necessary and did not wish to be dependent upon them, so she had her dad and Andre trash them.

"Oh you know, we're here and there," Jade replied happily. Tori was almost envious, Jade and Beck got everything they ever _wanted_. To top it off, they had an extremely happy marriage, or at least, Jade upped it as so. The only negative thing she heard was that Beck gambled constantly. "Being a celebrity and the wife of a celebrity really leaves room to expand!" Jade leaned forward, sipping her wine and grinning. "Socializing is no problem!"

"I can't say I've ever imagined you to socialize," Cat remarked. Jade sank back into the couch, smirking once again as she sipped her wine. "You hardly seemed the type to be concerned with other people growing up."

"Hardly the type? Cat, are you still loco?" Cat rolled her eyes and Tori raised up an eyebrow. How could Jade suggest that of Cat? Then again, the woman not only ran off the father of her baby for no good reason, but she hardly spoke, seemingly hiding so much behind those bloodshot eyes of hers. "Think about it. Me, learning the secrets of everyone that comes to my parties, and you think I'm not the type? If you know secrets, you know details of someone's innermost life, and with that knowledge, you have power. There's a reason Beck is so successful."

Beck laughed, pointing towards Jade with a proud grin, "If it wasn't for this woman right here and her parties, I wouldn't be such a famous actor. She would throw parties, invite all the important people and share in gossip with them or their wives, and so on. Using that, she'd get me into a movie or a show. Or even a commercial."

Tori frowned at this, she never really imagined Beck and Jade going so far as blackmailing their way through Hollywood. "So you blackmailed your way to success?"

"It's the only way to get up in movies, Tori." He breathed in and lifted his shoulders, "In this business, it's cutthroat. You either know someone and move up, or you stay where you are. Someone like you couldn't survive this business because you don't know how to be aggressive, how to be assertive…" Years ago, she would take offense to that statement. She'd argue and fight to defend herself, but now, she could hardly do it. Besides, who was she to deny there was truth in that? She herself saw Andre attempt to rise up in ranks, and fall so miserably.

"I guess you're right."

Cat's eyes flickered over to her and her lips fell into a scowl, "Now why the hell are you always agreeing? Always you agree with them, are you still so concerned about being accepted?"

"No…" She had her reasons. Closing her eyes, she remembered the first time Andre began drinking. What led him to the ruin and the mistakes that riddled their marriage.

_"Another rejection letter," Andre grumbled as he tore a slip of paper. "One, two, three, every fucking place I try to put my music into turns me down!" Tori frowned as Andre threw the torn pieces of paper into the nearest trash bin. She put her hand to her extending belly and closed her eyes, trying to relax as she felt her baby kicking inside. Katrina was the key to her staying with him despite all the fights they were having. She supported him, but was tired of him trying to send music in to producers that just weren't taking his music. She wanted him focused on his career, focused on the family they were having together._

_ "Just calm down Andre…" He was usually always calm, at least, he was before they got married. When his grandmother passed, it seemed like she'd given her anxiety and paranoia to him. He actually started drinking more frequently after her death, but not enough to start getting drunk. Yet, it was enough that it changed him. His grandma's death changed him._

_ He was so angry. So listless, and devoid of hope. _

_ "Don't tell me to calm down, Tori. You don't get it. You don't want to follow your dream anymore, you gave up on that. Well _I'm_ not like that!" His words stung her and she watched as he launched himself from the recliner, muttering as he shook his hand beside his head. "I can't be happy if I don't reach my own goals!" _

_ "That's not true, Andre." She lifted her hand to his shoulder, but withdrew it when she smelled liquor on his breath. Her eyes drifted to the end table beside the recliner, and there were two empty bottles of beer. Her eyes widened as fear gripped her. "You've been drinking?"_

_ "I need another beer."_

_ "Andre-"_

_ "No, I _need_ one. I can't _deal_ with these goddamn people anymore!" He brushed past her, storming into the kitchen. Tori whimpered and grabbed the beers, moving them to the trash bucket as well. She flinched as she heard his voice blasting from the kitchen. "Tori! Where are the beers?"_

_ "Aren't there more in the fridge?" They weren't out, where they? Andre came rushing out, wide eyed and trembling. He put his hands to her shoulders, asking if she had any idea if they were out. "If there aren't any more in the fridge…" His hands were tight on her arms, and this pregnancy had made her body all that more sensitive and easy to bruise, but he'd lost his once gentle touch. "If there aren't any more, I can go get some at the store…"_

_ "You will? Thank you. I'll uh…be down the street at Sunny's until you get back, I guess. I need to think, get some air and just relax. I love you, Tori…" She closed her eyes and slowly nodded her head, tears started to sting her eyelids as she listened to him walk away. Sunny's was the bar down the street, he went there from time to time to relax and think after they had a fight or if something was stressing him out. _

_ "Guess…I'm going shopping…" She put her hand to her stomach and with a heavy sigh, moved to the door. She had to move quickly, because Andre would likely be drunk at this rate. The rejection letters were getting to him, but she had faith, faith that he'd turn around and rise above all this. "It's just another twelve pack, that's all…I'm sure once Katrina's here, once things get better, he'll stop…'_

_ Until then, she was serious about moving her father in. He'd been getting lonelier each year, and now, she was starting to worry about Andre, and the safety of herself and her future baby. _

"Andre could never get accepted by any record companies," Tori muttered. Jade, Beck and Cat were all eyeing her with concern, seeing the pain in her eyes after the memory played through her head. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, because it's true, you do have to know somebody to be someone. Either that, or you have to step on people to get up…I couldn't do something like that, and after Trina left, I just…I couldn't do it." Her chest trembled as a shaky breath exited her lungs. Jade reached over, patting her shoulder.

"Are you and Andre okay? I mean, your marriage…you said it was a bit rocky?"

"He's been drinking a lot lately. He changed after his grandma died, started drinking then, but the rejections made him drink more furiously. Eventually he just became unstable…drunk, angry, and even incoherent, it was like he was mad at the world." Beck frowned at this and narrowed his eyes, speaking lowly.

"Did he ever hit you?" She hesitated, not wanting to answer the question. He never actually _hit_ her, he may have pushed her a couple times, but never hit her. Maybe he scared her every now and then, but with David living there, he obviously had to tone it down. She started to smile and lifted her shoulders up.

"Dad lives with us now, he's been living with us for about seven to eight years, as long as Katrina's been born."

"That's not answering the question. Did he ever raise his hand to you?"

"No."

"Tori?"

"No, he _hasn't_. We've fought, and maybe he's pushed me a few times, but-"

"Damn it, that's the same thing."

"It's not exactly. I mean, he doesn't get drunk as much anymore." This was not a conversation she wanted to have, at least not with _these_ people. They were overstepping boundaries that needed to exist. She lifted her hand and shook her head. "Please. Just...back up a little. I haven't seen you guys in over ten to fifteen years. So-"

"Yeah, we get it." Beck leaned back and Jade frowned at them. "You don't want us to get involved or interfere. We got it." She didn't mean to offend or sound so hateful, it was just a matter of not knowing what they'd do or say. In all fairness, they were trying to reach out, maybe even better themselves. "We don't expect to be friends right away, but we want to at least start over."

"I don't know how possible that's going to be. I mean…I've prayed so hard Trina would be here, would forgive me, but that's not happening. I don't expect it ever will, at this point, and if it did…would she be so willing to forgive?"

"It might take a while," Cat said with a sigh, "Everything takes time. Even this, between us, would take a lot of time. I think we'd all have to want to work on it…" There it was, the word she was searching for. She didn't know if she _wanted_ to be friends with them again. "That being said, let's move on…"

Jade sipped her wine once more and let out a heavy sigh, "Well obviously we know where Beck and I are at. We know about Andre and Tori. We can't get in touch with Robbie it seems like, so that just leaves you, Cat. What have you been up to all these years? I hear you're a vocal instructor?"

"Yeah, that's about it. Just on the weekends though. I have difficulty finding a full time job and sticking with it. I don't know what it is." Cat moved her hand to her left temple and rubbed it carefully and inhaling. "I have chronic headaches and the doctor prescribed that medical marijuana stuff…and believe me, when they say the only reason people actually wanted that legal was to get high, they're not lying…"

"So you're saying you get high often?"

"Um…what? I didn't say that?"

Tori was astonished by this news! Yet another person within the group had some darker secrets harbored. Beck, the compulsive gambler, Cat apparently did drugs, Andre drank, and of course she herself was a depressive pushover. "What a ragtag bunch we are, huh?" Tori marveled. The others gazed curiously at her, and she realized her words actually came from her lips and not her head. In defense she was quick to change the subject. "Has anyone heard about Sinjin lately?"

Jade crossed her legs and nodded, "Last I checked, Sinjin was producing this new blend of coffee and hot cocoa. He's a millionaire now, and I _think_ he's living up in New Jersey or New York, one of those 'new' states."

"Wow…who would have guessed?"

"I know, right?" Jade gazed at her wine glass, now nearing at empty. Her lips thinned as her eyes dimmed upon the wine. "I think we may as well go back out now and make our presence at this birthday party. Of course…I should probably grab some more wine."

"Agreed, let's check on the kids."

* * *

So we're learning a little of what life has been like for everyone, and it's not pretty. Does it get better? Does it get worse? Stick around.


	12. Robert Shapiro: Case Closed

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 12 (Robert Shapiro: Case Closed)

During the twenty years, Trina found a kindred soul in Sara Sidle, the two were similar in their personalities. Both women were somewhat hardened, protecting their hearts from the world. They only trusted those within their close family, or the CSI team. There was good reason for it too, as Trina had seen many horrors out there in her lifetime.

"It never gets easier, Trina." Sara and Trina were standing outside the observation window, gazing in at Olivia Shapiro. The woman was waiting to be questioned, though she was not charged with an arrest. She was only here for the purpose of being questioned. "This job can throw some pretty weird things out on you. See DB on the news Saturday?"

"Yep." She chucked dryly, remembering her father-in-law's statement about her vying for the head investigator of the unit. She actually _would_ like the job, but she wasn't sure she was the best suited. "I've been working here for twenty years, most of you guys have been here for at least thirty. I hardly think I'm all that qualified."

"I don't know, we've got some fresh investigators on the team, sure…but the ones of us that have been here forever? We're getting old." That was true to an extent. Nick and Sara were born in '71, Greg was born in '75, Morgan in '80, and of course Julian Finlay was the same age as DB, both born in 1964. That meant Sara and Nick were sixty-two, Greg was fifty-eight, and Morgan was fifty-three. "I think everyone here's going to retire eventually. So, the most logical choice that the Undersheriff is considering is promoting you to lead and giving you an entirely new team after DB's finished. I think you've earned your wings over the last twenty years."

"Big shoes to fill…"

Sara laughed and pat Trina on the shoulder, shaking her head, "No you want to know who had 'big' shoes to fill? It was DB. The lead before him didn't even come close to the greatness that was my husband, Gil. DB had to be this team's 'next' Grissom, but he brought his own personality and brought life back to the team."

"Right. I've heard the stories from Nick and Greg a million times. How is Gil these days?" Grissom was Seventy-seven now, and his health wasn't doing the best in recent years. It worried Trina just a little, he was four years older than her father had been, and from time to time she thought of her father and how his health was doing.

Sara's face tightened a moment, then relaxed. "He's getting some strength back."

"Glad to hear that. I wouldn't worry too much, he's always seemed strong." Sara smiled at her. Trina looked through the observation window once more and sighed, as much as she hated to cut conversation short, she needed to get in there to question the mother. "Okay, let's get to work."

The two entered the room and Olivia looked up, eyes full of worry, "What's going to happen?" Olivia asked. Trina gave her a reassuring smile and sat in the chair across from the woman.

"We only want to ask you some questions." Olivia pat her hand over her right on the table, smiling with absent eyes. Trina often started out as 'good cop' unless there were reason to start off as the tough and hardened cop first. She earned the nickname on the team as 'Viper' for the reason that she could transition from 'good cop' to 'bad cop' in an instant, and sometimes remove 'good cop' altogether. Suspects never quite knew what they were getting out of her. It was true what Sara said, she more than well earned her wings. Promotion to lead detective would also mean an increase in pay grade, which would be even greater!

"I'm willing to answer any and all questions you have…"

"Right. So we know you were at the hotel with your sons the morning of your husband's murder. He died within a block of your house, did you see anything or anyone at all?" Olivia denied seeing anyone outside, she still seemed to maintain that Jacques was the man that did it. It was something the woman was adamant about, her gut instinct, but they'd already cleared him as a suspect.

Trina set her folder on the table and opened it up, removing a photo and placing it in front of Olivia. It was a photo of Lucy. Olivia stared at the photo while Trina examined her facial features. Her eyes looked sharp, but confused, and a wrinkle had formed upon her brow. "Who is this?"

"Her name is Lucy Mave. We believe your husband was having an affair with this woman and called it off." Olivia gasped and cupped her hands over her mouth, emitting a weak whimper. "We think she was stalking him. He was on his way to confront her that morning." She spotted a flash of anger and malice in the woman's eyes. Leaning back, she glanced over to Sara, who was studying the woman as well.

"Lucy was in her hotel room at the time of the murder, Mrs. Shapiro," Sara marveled. "Do you recognize her?"

"N-No, not at all." Trina furrowed her brow and Sara let out a quiet sigh.

"In a recorded phone conversation, Robert remarks that he had been in 'hot water' with you before. Can you explain what that means?" Olivia's head flew up and her eyes widened.

"Am I a suspect? You don't think I could _possibly_ hurt my husband!"

"Just answer the question, Mrs. Shapiro."

Olivia nodded and clenched her eyes shut. "He and I had a big argument a year or two ago. I found out he had another child somewhere." Trina's eyebrows lifted in surprise. Her heart sank and irritation swept through her, now Robbie had another kid somewhere? He walked out on a _child_? "It was almost twenty years ago anyway, he said the woman ran him out because she didn't want him around, but…I guess I got angry because he never told me."

_Almost twenty years ago?_ Trina did the math in her head and grimaced, the only person she could think of was _Cat Valentine_. Would she have any reason to find or kill Robbie? Lack of child support, maybe? If anything, she would have to send Nick or someone else to investigate _her_. Sara could see the stress lines forming on Trina's forehead, so she moved on with the questioning.

"Nick and Greg swept through your hotel room, Mrs. Shapiro, and they found some inconsistencies. The receipt for the plane you and your family took only supports you, your husband, and two of your three boys. How did the other get here?"

"My oldest son, Sean, wanted to drive. He arrived a week before us." Trina froze in shock and Sara folded her hands over on the table, closing her eyes and sighing. This was _pivotal_ information they needed! Where was this car, though? "He had an accident though, so it's in the shop right now."

"In the shop? What was this accident?"

"Drove the car into a tree."

The rest of the day was consistent with searching the car at the shop. There was indeed a massive dent in the front of the car, but it was clearly not consistent with a _tree_. Greg analyzed the paint chipping and found some debris matching to that of Robert's car within the dent.

Next, Nick had found a 9mm handgun wrapped in a wash cloth hidden beneath the passenger seat of the car. The car itself was indeed registered to Sean Shapiro, the eldest son, seventeen years of age. The handgun was registered to Robert Shapiro. The man was shot by his own gun.

Trina and Sara sat before the shaky son in the questioning room, appalled by the thought that the boy would have killed his father. However, it was circumstantial at best. The prints found on the car were currently being analyzed. Currently, it seemed any one of the family might have been involved. Morgan and Nick were analyzing the voice they heard on the video on the hidden camera found in Rex.

Sean was eyeing the gun in front of the detectives, it was inside a plastic bag. Beside the bag was the case file, Trina set her hand on the folder and narrowed her eyes. "Sean, we found your father's gun hidden in the seat under your car, registered to your name. The bullets in this gun match the bullets in your father. Care to explain?"

The boy was sweating, his gaze was shifting back and forth between them and the observation window. They had the mother outside, observing as they interviewed her son. The man watching her was the replacement of Jim Brass, the new captain of the department, Henry Palmer. Nick had been offered the position before, but he turned it down, stating he'd rather work the field where he was. That was okay, as Henry was just as stern and just as swift as Brass had been, but still, he wasn't the same.

"I-I know my father," Sean began, "He was…a liar." Trina slowly breathed in and closed her eyes, awaiting all the things that could possibly be said of the man. All the things she'd probably thought herself in the past. "I know as a teenager, he got mixed with a bad crowd." This was true, she could attest.

"Okay. So he was involved with the wrong people, we're not investigating your father's teenage years, Sean. We want to know why the gun that killed your father is in the car registered to you, which is in the shop for an 'accident' that occurred within the last week."

"I'm _getting _to that!" Tears welled up in his eyes. Trina tapped her nails impatiently on the desk, narrowing her eyes and waiting with aggravation for him to get on with this. She wanted to be over with Robbie's case. "My dad knocked up some chick in LA, I hated him for keeping that from us. Then I found out a year ago he was having an affair. Then he was _still_ with her! So…yes, I-"

"Wait!" The door flew open and Trina looked over her shoulders to see Olivia bursting in the room full of tears. Sean looked up to his mother, his mouth agape. Olivia fell to her knees, extending her arms and holding her wrists together. "I did it. I killed my husband." Trina and Sara exchanged uncertain glances. Was this the case of a mother taking the fall for a son?

Nick entered the room with a sheet of paper, then handed it to Trina. She looked over the lab report and frowned. The prints on the handle of the car matched Olivia Shapiro. The voice on the video had been enhanced to that of an angry female. She looked up to Sara and Nick, then motioned for the suspects to be switched.

Her intuition was correct, Olivia had been involved somehow. Sean was trying to take the fall for his mother. "I did it, I killed my husband. Sean was with his brothers. Please…"

"Why is he telling us he did it?"

"He doesn't want his mommy to go to prison…" Olivia whimpered as the detectives led her to the chair at the table. Trina faced her with a hardened expression on her face.

"You recognized that woman, didn't you. Miss Mave."

"Yes ma'am. I knew he was trying to see her, I didn't know it was to _confront_ her. I-I thought he was still cheating on me with her. I was already angry about the other lies, such as the other child he never told us about…I took his gun, took the only other car we had, and I followed him. Ran his car off the road…got out…and you know the rest…"

Olivia's tone was much more stern than the last few times she'd spoken to them, it was like a complete transition from a bereaved wife to that of a woman who murdered her husband out of anger and jealous rage.

Robbie may have made plenty of mistakes, Trina knew he did that many times in his life. She knew he was with the bad crowd. Even back then, she thought Cat might have been on something, she knew the rest were a rough bunch. Robbie's mistakes caught up with him first, it seemed.

She closed her eyes as Olivia continued her story, her heart was pounding, but at the same time, swelling with pride. She'd found Robbie's killer, but she hardly felt like celebrating. Somewhere inside of her, she had a feeling this wasn't the worst thing to come.

At least, she didn't have to go rushing off to LA. After Olivia was cuffed and charged, everyone but Sara left the room. Sara pat her back and looked into her eyes. "Hey, you okay Trina?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Sara." A weight lifted from her, she was grateful for it. "I think…that's the last thing to deal with regarding _my_ past?"

"That's why you took the case, to cope and be released from your past?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't feel like enough. Does that make sense?"

"Yes. But come on, let's go. You and I can grab a coffee somewhere."

"All right, but I need to be with my family. My husband and kids." It was a much needed break, the tense emotions she was dealing with, she'd be more than happy to be rid of.

* * *

We're getting to the breaking point in which she must go to LA. Now that Robbie's case is done, the serial case can be worked. So what are your thoughts on this chapter?


	13. Day of Rest

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N: I have Trina's Return completely written, so this could _potentially_ go on daily note. Would that be good for you guys? Yay or nay? Let me know and enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 13 (Day of Rest)

"It's finally over." Trina crashed onto her bed and threw her pillow over her face. Charlie lay beside her smiling down at her as she removed the pillow and gazed up into his eyes. His finger traced her hairline on her forehead and he groomed her hair back, gazing lovingly at her. "We've put away Robbie's killer…his own wife." On her way over, she pondered what Tori would be up to these days. She was in bad company in high school, that's what changed her. And now? She must not be much better off.

"I'm glad, I know that case was stressing you out fairly well." She closed her eyes and groaned. She felt her husband's soft lips brush her forehead, sending warmth into her body. Her lips curled into a smile and her eyes opened back up. Her heartbeat skipped like a record and her arms lifted up around Charlie's neck.

"How did it go today? The last day we're going to need that babysitter?" He was supposed to leave his job today, and with that, tell the babysitter they hired on those days he worked that she was no longer needed. Though, she was more than welcome to come by and spend time with Megan and Josh if she ever wanted to.

"My boss gave me the okay, wished me the best of luck, and here I am. Of course, he asked me to finish out the day, which I did. Rochelle had a good time with the kids, they behaved as well as kids behave."

"In other words, they got in trouble once or twice?"

"Basically." She laughed and lifted up, kissing his lips. All the tension within her that built up with this case was gone. Robbie's soul could rest in peace and she could go on with her life. While something still felt amiss in her life, she was going to try her best to ignore that feeling. Though, the thought that something was wrong still gnawed at her.

The couple threw the comforter over themselves and sank down into each other's embrace. She'd spent so much time working on the evidence and solving the case that she'd missed his loving embrace. Tonight, she didn't have to go straight to bed or find him in bed already, she was more than happy he was awake.

The next morning Trina awoke with the sun beaming down on her content expression. The smell of pancakes struck her nostrils, pulling her out of the bed. With a heavy sigh, she picked up the underwear on the floor and tossed it in the nearby laundry bin, then moved over to the closet to find her clothes for the day.

She didn't have to go in to work until later, and she already made a promise both internally and externally to Charlie last night that no matter what the case was, she wasn't going to put extra hours in that she didn't need. She_ needed_ to be with family.

That was the mistake her father made, allowing Holly the time to feel lonely and deprived of him. Yes, she already knew well that her mother had been having that affair, which had been another reason she left them behind. She wasn't going to make that same mistake, especially not now that she had a second child.

When she stepped out of the bedroom, then out of the hallway into the living room, she saw Josh and Megan watching cartoons on the couch. They were still in their pajamas, which was all right, it was the 13th, Friday morning, and Megan didn't have to go to school until noontime. This would be the girl's last day of school before breaking for the summer. She saw her daughter's head poke up over the couch, her loving eyes gazing out at her.

"Momma's awake!" Megan announced. Seconds later she was overtaken by the two kids who were hugging her legs. Trina laughed happily and knelt down to hug them. "Dad's making breakfast."

"We're having pancakes," Josh chimed, "Chocolate chip pancakes! With maple syrup and sausage!"

"Oh?" Trina rubbed his head and gazed lovingly at her children, "So you're getting an All-American breakfast? Well that's good, growing boys and girls need their breakfast."

"Yep! By the way, did you know yesterday Megan took me to school with her?"

"Really now?" She raised an eyebrow and looked to Megan. She wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to do that. It was one of the rare times she hadn't been the one taking Megan to school, and Charlie obviously had to leave to work early in the morning, so the babysitter was the one who did. "Rochelle actually took both of you to the school?"

"I wanted people to meet my little brother," Megan admitted, "They liked him. I introduced him to my friends." Trina's heart skipped a beat and she gave her daughter a curious, but suspicious look. Megan closed her eyes and breathed in sharply. "I _do _have friends, Momma. I just don't do things with them…Remember the group that I was talking to in class?"

"Yes dear."

"Those are my friends. Andrew, Crystal, Clint, and Lilly. Also, after I talked to you, I promised them to start spending recess with them. Also, we'll probably play over the summer, but I want Joshua to play with them too." Trina was surprised and a bit taken aback by the admission. She was extremely proud that her daughter actually did have some close friends, but was sad that she never _met_ them.

"Okay sweetie."

"In fact Momma, Lilly and Andrew are coming over later this afternoon. Is that okay if they do?"

"Yes. I'm glad you and Joshua are making friends, but sweetie, don't sneak your brother off without letting me or your father know where you two are." Megan smiled innocently and Joshua scratched the back of his head, chuckling nervously. "Now speaking of your father, I have to go tell that man good morning as well."

"Okay, love you momma."

"Love you mom." Joshua and Megan hugged her neck, then kissed her cheek. She glowed with delight and closed her eyes. Her heart swelled as she thought on her having made the right decision in adopting Joshua. This was twice the love of a child, and he was already getting along and making friends with Megan.

Megan had also done what she hadn't done with Tori, introduced Tori to _her own friends_. Maybe things would have gone differently if she'd done that? She'd already been friends with Sinjin, somewhat, so what if Trina introduced her to him? But no, she had to introduce her little sister to a partner on some class assignment.

Andre, Beck, Jade, Cat, and Robbie were a bad group. They weren't bad people in general, they were well meaning, but they'd always been the suspicious group. For instance, the illegal club creation with the pool table. Jade was violent as always, Robbie seemed to be a bit lecherous with his puppet. Andre always seemed hyped up and consistently paranoid in regards to his grandmother. Beck, levelheaded, but a love of card games, he seemed to crave them.

She had to wonder, if Robbie grew up with his lecherous personality becoming a bit more embellished, did the others grow into their own personality flaws? One bad egg can spoil an entire group, but by that same respect, a bunch of bad eggs could turn a good one.

Tori had been good. She loved her elder sister with all her heart and did everything to treat her right, but that stopped after she started talking to her friends. They spoiled her, and Trina could do nothing to stop it.

Trina had friends who had been supportive of her, granted they all moved onto other areas of California, leaving Sinjin the only one left by the time _she_ left. Had she introduced Tori to her good friends, maybe they would have led Tori down the right and proper path.

She entered the kitchen and saw Charlie standing in front of a skillet, flipping a pancake over. He looked up to her and smiled as she threw her arms around his neck and leaned against his body, kissing his lips. "Good morning, lover."

"Morning, Trina. The kids sounded happy to see you in there."

"They were. God I missed them." Solving Robbie's case took all her time and energy, she rarely saw her family in the process. The only time she saw them was when she would get home from a long day. "I promise, no matter what, I'm not going to let _any_ case take me over like that. I'll devote my time to family."

"Glad to hear it." He kissed her forehead, then returned to the pancakes. She put her arm around his shoulders and set her head on his left shoulder, eyeing the pancake as he moved it onto a plate. He poured more batter into the pan. "You know we'll always love and support you, so don't think it's a bad thing if you _have_ to work extra hours on a particular case."

"I know, it's just…I don't want to make mistakes that my parents made. I want to be here for my kids too. I mean, I didn't even know Megan had introduced Joshua to her own friends already."

"Right, they sound like a good bunch too."

"I never introduced Tori to my friends. I mean, I wanted to, but that first day, she already was introduced by Andre to _his_ friends. They spoiled her…ruined her, changed her…my friends wouldn't have done that."

"Changed her?"

"She used to love me, they made fun of me and so she made fun of me. That became habitual, and then it became in her character. Robbie's case made me realize…he grew _into_ his flaws."

"What do you mean?"

"Before. He was always using that damn puppet to hit on every girl that came his way." Charlie nodded and flipped the pancake over, pressing it down gently with the spatula. Trina lifted her head and leaned back against the marble counter, gripping it firmly with her fingers as she studied the kitchen door frame. "He apparently impregnated Cat, and he cheated on his current wife with another woman."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. But it makes me wonder about the others. Andre, always paranoid and angry at his grandmother for her craziness. Beck, he loved coming over to play cards. In fact, every time he was over he asked if they were going to do something, be it a card game or whatever…it seemed he knew the rules of them all. Jade-"

"She was the vicious one, right?"

"Yep. Then there was Cat, who was always overly eccentric. I think their ways and habits affected Tori from them. Maybe, maybe I'm at fault? Maybe I didn't save her from them?"

"I doubt that, you had no way of knowing how any of them were." He moved the next pancake onto the plate and started working on the second. "Besides, from the sounds of it, your sister wouldn't have listened to you even if you knew they were an odd bunch."

"True." She leaned her head back and sighed, "Sometimes I wonder if she's still intermixed with that group. I mean, obviously Robbie left. The others? Who knows. Who knows how Tori is like today…"

"Didn't you say your father found you once?" She hummed and turned her gaze over to him. Her brow furrowed as he looked her way. "Back in college?" She remembered that instance clearly. Her father managed to figure out what college she was going to and contacted the campus, who then gave her the number of her dormitory. Her roommate picked up the phone and handed it to her. Trina had been so nervous talking to him again, but still fairly angry with him. She told him she still didn't have intentions of going back and never wanted to hear from him again.

"Yeah, he never called me again after that day…"

"If you could change anything, would you go back?"

"Probably not. I mean…it's been twenty years, the wounds are freshly opened again because of this case with Robbie." She rubbed her forehead and stepped away, wanting to get out of the way of the heat coming from the stove. "Right now, I just want to focus on you, Megan, and Joshua. That's it."

"Fair enough." He stepped back and looked to the plate of pancakes. There were sixteen, so he divided them up among four plates. "Want to let the kids know breakfast is ready?"

"Yep. Oh and I told Megan her friends could come over tonight. I don't know if they'll be here for supper or not, but can we prepare for them to be here for that?"

"Yes."

"Thanks honey, love you!"

"Love you too." She kissed the corner of his lips and hurried off to the living room.

Later that day, after supper, the kids were on the couch with Andrew and Lilly. They did come for supper, and seemed to enjoy it too. Andrew was a smart boy with bright blue eyes and shaggy brown hair. Lilly had a bit of a sarcastic humor, but was very friendly and kind to Megan and Joshua. She had long blonde hair that fell past her hips and hazel green eyes. Trina approved of both of them in regards to Megan's friends. They were around her age, which was also good.

Trina watched the children on the couch, they were laughing at the television show they were watching. Charlie was going to take them home in about an hour. She leaned against the hallway entryway frame, gazing out the window near the front door. It was raining outside, but not too badly.

What could possibly make this day any better? Could anything make it worse? She didn't dare to say anything about it. She'd not seen much of DB lately, she did get a chance to see him briefly today at work. The reason was because she'd been helping Nick and Sara finish up on another case. Now, she was getting back on the serial killer case.

This time she'd be working side by side DB once more, because it was the case he'd been working so hard on lately. She hoped to see what his findings were, if he found anything new at all. Paul hadn't told her much about the case because nothing new came up. They still didn't have a victim.

What Trina wanted to do was get a record of guests from El Salón Roja, to see what guests checked in on the days of the murders. It was unlikely that would work, however, because it wasn't like a hotel where guests had tickets saved. It would be too much work for the owners of that casino to figure out all the visitors over a fifteen year period.

The doorbell rang out and moved over to answer it, the kids all watched as she opened it. DB was standing in the doorway with a disheartened look on his face. He was wearing his coat and had a fedora hat on his head. "Hey DB, long time no see. How are things?"

"Not good, Trina. I mean, there's some good but some bad." He stepped inside, removing his hat and setting it on the coat rack with his coat. The children greeted him from the couch and he waved, smiling cheerfully. "Hey kids, I'll be just a minute, I have to talk to your mom for a minute."

She followed him into the bedroom and closed the door behind her, crossing her arms as she leaned against it. "Okay, what's the issue?"

"We have a new lead for the serial killer case." She lowered her arms, chuckling lightly and shrugging her shoulders. This was _great_ news!

"What's so bad about that?" DB glanced worriedly at her and tapped his fingertips together, sighing heavily.

"Okay, we were researching and we found an old victim that matched a lot of the victims' ongoing circumstances. We believe this to be the serial killer's first victim, only…the case was solved and someone else was put in jail for it."

"Okay…we've had this happen before. But this is a _lead_, what's bad about it?"

"We have to go to LA…"

Her heart stopped and her jaw fell to the floor. Instantly she was ready to protest this, to do anything _but_ return to that infernal place! No, she couldn't do that yet, she needed to learn more about this victim. She would find out more tomorrow.

* * *

So what are your thoughts here?


	14. Trina's Choice

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 14 (Trina's Choice)

"You're a funny man, DB." The next morning, Trina was wide awake at the lab, with several ounces of coffee running through her system. The night had not been an easy one to sleep through, and she was fighting to stay awake. She told Charlie about the news, but was still uncertain. She wanted to see the solid case, the evidence, that would force her to decide whether she was going to LA or not.

Currently the entire team was standing in the lab, they'd been waiting for her arrival. Her hair was barely brushed back, and her clothes had been thrown on. They raised their eyebrows at her, as this was perhaps the one time in twenty years she'd shown up to work _a mess_. "I'm not joking," DB muttered, "We have to work with the LAPD on reopening this case. It'll be you and me. Granted, Greg will be our technician, but the rest have to work on cases here. Sara and Nick are working on a recent homicide involving a drug runner…Finn and Morgan are also dealing with a separate case, so…you don't have much choice."

"The hell I don't." She was going to fight this tooth and nail if she had to. Her anxiety was through the roof, and her anger was coursing through her faster than the caffeine in her blood. "The minute you tell me I don't have a choice, I will find a reason, _any reason_ not to go back to LA!"

"Maybe I can give you a reason to go," A voice answered. She spun around to see Undersheriff George Moore walking into the room. He was a dark skinned man in his early fifties. He had a grey goatee and a bald head. "This serial killer is the case of your career, Trina." Her heart stopped and she slowly glanced over to her mentor and father-in-law, whimpering slightly as her body began to tremble "After this, DB is retiring. Finlay's already stated she's retiring in a year's time. Nick's been asked to work with the FBI, and Sara also intends to retire soon. So you're being bumped up to Lead Investigator once _you _complete this case."

So getting promoted depended on whether or not she took this case? Was that what George was saying? "Promotion? If I do this…I get promoted?"

"That is correct. If not, then you're hindering your team and I think you're well aware of that."

She lowered her voice to a whisper and glanced over at the computer everyone was surrounding. "Damn…" She didn't want to impede her team, and she definitely wanted to get that promotion. It would mean _less_ hours, more pay, and much better benefits. Plus, she knew the ropes well, she knew the team better than anything. Morgan's dad, the last Undersheriff wasn't doing so hot, so Morgan was likely going to leave the team soon to take care of him. She would essentially be given a whole new team, she _wanted_ to be the experienced leader. _"No one knows this place better than I do…no one knows the dynamic better than I do. They don't need another Fishborne, they need another Grissom, another DB…they need me." _ Fishborne was the leader that came in between Grissom and DB, he led the team practically into ruin because he disrupted the dynamic so badly that DB had to revive them with the help of Catherine Willows. And revive them he did.

As leader, she could retain the dynamic while teaching the new people, and at the same time she would still be in touch with DB obviously. George folded his arms over and the others waited for her to decide. He raised an eyebrow and motioned his head towards her. "So what is it going to be."

Closing her eyes, she fought the emotions stabbing at her chest. She didn't want to see her family, didn't want to see Tori's friends. This was dredging up too much, but was she to go back into her own personal hell? Her hands closed into fists and her jaw locked as the air in her lungs stopped at her throat. Going didn't mean confronting, right? It didn't mean she _had_ to see those assholes again, did it?

Of course, she knew Megan, Charlie, and even Joshua would _love_ the trip. She wasn't going to go to LA without them. She'd already gone a full week and a half working so hard on a case that she didn't see them. She wasn't doing this again. With DB, she was going to solve this damn serial killer case and put the prick in jail.

"Serial killers often foul up on their first victim. There's almost always a discrepancy." Her eyes shot open as a passion burned through her, sending her towards the computer where Greg was sitting. The others started to smile and move around her. "All right, if I'm going to go to LA…I need to know what you found out. So fill me in, stat." She was getting that promotion, even if it meant going back to hell. Her job was on the line, here!

"There's more than that," DB remarked. "You're not going to like it."

"DB, Right now I hate the fact that I'm going to go to LA…how can it _get_ any worse?"

Greg chuckled nervously and glanced up at her, "You sure you want to ask that?"

"No time to be vague, talk to me." The image of the old case file popped up on the screen and Greg turned to the computer. She furrowed her brow as she saw the body of a woman with long brown hair and blood splattered across her body. Her lips had been cut in similar fashion to the victims afterwards, and her eyes were wide open, gazing out in eternal silence. "Similar conditions to all the other victims…"

"All the way down to cutting a hole over the heart. The only difference is, this case is sloppier. The heart's arteries and veins were not snipped, but rather the killer stabbed the victim's heart. Maybe the killer was short on time? However, the kicker is there was a wedding ring found shoved down the victim's throat."

"Okay. Now DB said there was someone arrested for this?"

"And he's still in jail, so he could not have murdered our remaining victims." They would still have to question this man, the case was being torn open, they had to start fresh. She inquired the name and estimated time of death regarding the victim. When she did this, all faces in the room dropped. With that, she felt an overwhelming sense of fear, but pressed onward. Nothing was going to stop her, the desire and power to move forward in her career and life was greater than her fear of returning to LA. "The man's name is Henry West. The victim is his wife, Denise West. Estimated time of death, February 28th, 2013."

A day before she left LA? She was busy packing that day. Her body tensed as she thought on the names. She thought she felt a cold wind breeze past her as her eyes narrowed onto the victim's image and report. "Tell me more…" Where had she heard that name before? Henry and Denise West.

"They arrested Mr. West because he didn't have an alibi at the time of the murder, and had just found out that his wife had been cheating on him with two other men. There was not much evidence, but because he was the husband, they convicted him."

She felt the bile rising up her throat. Even twenty years ago, the killer was after women having affairs? If Henry West had been the serial killer, he would have had to not only be out of prison, but would have had to visit the casino in Vegas regularly, unless…"How long was his sentence, and did they allow vacations?"

No prison allowed their inmates to go out on vacations, and the rare few that did wouldn't dare allow their inmates to be unescorted. "Of course not, and because of the gruesomeness of the murder, Mr. West was serving a sentence of forty years." Greg raised an eyebrow and glanced over at her. "He has a daughter, Trina. Someone you know, or used to know."

"What?" Then it began to hit her and her stomach jolted violently inside of her. She analyzed the last names of her sister's best friends. Shapiro, Harris, Oliver, Valentine, then finally, West.

"Now the wife of famous action star, Beck Oliver…Jade Oliver. The victim is her mother, Denise. At the time of the murder, she was said to be at her friend, Cat's house. When asked, Cat Valentine confirmed her visit."

"Great…" She moaned inwardly and rolled her eyes. This was terrible! Not only did she have to go to LA and investigate the murder of Jade's mother, she had to interrogate both Jade and Cat to make sure the alibi was correct. "And our only suspect right now…isn't our serial killer?"

DB rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes, "It's always possible that he did the crime and someone else is committing the remaining murders. It's a long shot, but you know the first step-"

"First we have to clear Mr. West of the murder. What did he say was his alibi?" Greg scrolled down the report and pointed at a box.

"He was at a campsite going fishing." If he was fishing at a campsite, then why was the alibi not proven? Could they find no other suspect or witnesses? Or was the case purposely geared towards finding the husband guilty? "A pretty gruesome murder, I can see why the investigators would have wanted to be done with it rather hastily and just convict the husband. Usually it is often found to be the husband, so they convicted."

"Thereby sending an innocent man to jail. Strange, I don't recall Tori ever telling me anything about Jade's family issues, but I don't think the girl would have told her…"

"It was a day before you moved, wasn't it?"

"Good point." It was taking every ounce of her power and strength not to turn this down. She didn't want to go to LA, she didn't want to face _Jade _or even _Cat_. That wasn't to assume Jade had anything to do with her mother's death, she just simply didn't want to see her, and likely, they were going to have to notify Jade that her mother's case was being reopened. That was _not_ going to be pretty. "Well then, I guess there's no other choice…" She took a deep breath and slowly looked over to DB. "We leave Monday…but I have to talk to my husband and kids." Her eyes drifted back to the camera and she released her breath, "But I do have mixed feelings about this."

DB gave a nod of his head and closed his eyes, "Understandable. No one is saying you have to see your sister or your parents. All you have to do is work this case."

"Great." Oddly that still didn't make her feel any better at all. She moved her hair over her shoulder and cracked her neck, sighing heavily as she mentally prepared her invisible rock shield. There was going to be a lot of protecting her heart in this. A struggle? No, this wasn't a struggle, this was a nightmare beyond epic proportions. "Los Angeles…also known as America's hell, in my opinion…here we come."

* * *

So it's been decided, Trina will do the case at least to get a promotion and to finally solve the case once and for all. Hopefully she can stomach the details just revealed.


	15. The Final Humiliation

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 15 (The Last Humiliation)

Monday the 16th at one in the afternoon, Trina stepped onto LA soil for the first time in twenty years. She felt a cold shudder run down her spine as her eyes gazed out over the top of her onyx colored sunglasses. Beside her, Charlie stepped out holding Joshua on his shoulders. Megan rushed out in front of her, dancing on the sidewalk. The only think making this easier than the anxiety strangling the life from her was the thought that hunting down the serial killer would land her a spot as the lead investigator.

That wasn't her ensuing motive though, she wanted to find the person responsible for _all_ the deaths. She wanted to tear them apart limb by limb, to destroy them for destroying so many families. Trina Vega-Russell was hungry for blood, and she was going to sniff out that serial killer if it was the last thing she did. DB stepped out of the airport beside her, holding his hand above his eyes to shield from the sun. "Well guys, we're here," he remarked.

She narrowed her eyes, struggling to quell the rapid pacing of her heart. "None of you know…how difficult this is for me." As she stood there, staring out at what was once considered her _home_, she was fighting off terrifying emotional flashbacks to the grievances and negligence she suffered at the hands of her family and her sister's friends. She was struggling with hunting every last one of them down and throw them in a jail cell. For what, though? She had no reason to. "Let's just get to the hotel. I think I'm going to be sick. I'd like to take a nice long bath…"

"You're entitled to it," Charlie replied with a smile. She knew she was, and she was going to take advantage of it. On the flight over, Megan and Joshua asked if they were going to get to see her old home. There was no way in hell she was going to do that. "So then, let's get moving. Dad, did you say someone from the LAPD is meeting us?"

"Should be…" DB checked his wristwatch. "Right about…" His eyes flicked upwards as a car drove up before them, "Now." They were going to get a rental car later, but they still needed a ride to the hotel room. Fortunately, the LAPD were more than willing to supply that.

At the hotel, Trina relaxed in the Jacuzzi within the bathroom. She sunk into the water, letting it rise up to her chin. Closing her eyes, her face tensed as memories plagued her mind. All the torments, all the humiliations and harassments replayed and her body began to tremble.

_The first to suggest was Jade. _

_ "I got it," Jade West remarked at the poker game at the Vega household. It was soon after Robbie and Cat were asked to sing that wretched song telling Trina she'd been dumped. Trina watched from the top of the staircase, narrowing her eyes onto Tori's friends, all of whom were listening eagerly as Jade came up with an idea. Tori had gone to the restroom, and knowing her, she'd be in for another ten minutes. "Seth dumped her right? Why don't we 'make it up' to her?"_

_ "What do you mean?" Beck asked, "Make it up to her how?" Jade smirked for a minute before sipping her coffee. _

_ "Find Trina a boyfriend." The others seemed to hesitate. Trina perked her head up and raised an eyebrow, what did she want with them helping her to find a boyfriend? She didn't need them. They already were ruining her life, whether they knew it or not. They were responsible for singlehandedly running off most of her friends._

_ They tainted her friends with lies, and several of her friends bought into them and left her one by one. The more loyal friends eventually told Trina they were tired of having to hear the group complain about her. Eventually, even her very best friend, who _never_ bought into their lies, left. Only, she moved._

_ As a result, Trina was alone._

_ Tearfully, she scoffed, planning to reject Jade and their request for helping her find a boyfriend. That request, however, never came._

_ However, for the next year of her life came the worst year she'd ever lived through. She had several dates, but every boyfriend she met wound up being abusive, destructive, and forceful. She was pushed around, abused verbally or mentally, and sometimes even physically. She hid her emotional scars well, but never figured out why she was having such bad luck with men._

_ It wasn't until the very last one, late January of 2013, tried to force her into having sex in the school closet. She had gone to HA to talk to her former martial arts instructor about something when she ran into her boyfriend at the time, who pushed her into the closet. He didn't get far at all and was stopped only by Sinjin who heard Trina slamming things around, that she caught wind of the why._

_ Sitting on the school steps, Sinjin had his arm around her shoulders, comforting her as she shuddered. The man hadn't gotten far at all. "So he didn't touch you?" Sinjin asked._

_ "He tried…m-martial arts, I-I tried to fight him off. You heard me?"_

_ "I heard the crashing. You're going to be okay?" Trina wept once more, moving her hands to her face. _

_ "Why, Sinjin? Why is this…_why_ is this happening to me?" She started to shake her head, grabbing at her purse and whimpering as her hand trembled violently. "I shouldn't even be here. All I wanted…was to talk to my old teacher…that was all! Why, why are the men doing this to me? Why does everyone _hate_ me?!"_

_ She heard someone gasp out and turned to see Robbie and Cat. Cat had her hands over her mouth and Robbie looked disgusted, guilt flashing past his eyes. Something clicked inside of her and she started to rise, wanting to scream at them and tear them apart. _

_ "T-Trina we…we're so sorry," Cat whined. "We saw everything, we didn't know, it was Jade's idea. It was all her…" She froze in place, recalling Jade's words from before. All those men? Did Jade have something to do with it?_

_ Sinjin stepped up beside her and narrowed his eyes, "What the fuck are you talking about?" He pointed to Trina, still glaring at the two. "You had something to do with what just happened to her?"_

_ "Not entirely," Robbie answered. "I-We-Jade suggested making you miserable…I don't know that we could agree to it, she just didn't like you. She coerced us…Tori doesn't know, never knew. All the boyfriends that you had? They were…just a prank by her."_

_ Trina's heart stopped and her eyes widened, her jaw fell and her body began to tremble. "Y-You…all this time? Four boyfriends over the year…all hired by _you?"_ She stuttered and Cat protested in defense._

_ "Jade! It was Jade!"_

_ She screamed back, louder and more profane, terrorized and hurt, "I don't fucking care who it was! You're all the fucking same, every last one of you! You hate me? I fucking hate you!" _

_ Cat whimpered and tears appeared in her eyes. "T-Tori wasn't a part of it. If she knew-"_

_ Trina threw her hand through the air, crying as her tears cut her cheeks like razor blades slashing through her skin. "She'd probably be fucking happy you did this to her sister!"_

_ "Don't say that, Trina."_

_ "I'll say whatever I want, because it's true. She doesn't care about me. You fuckers don't care about me, obviously! You spread lies to my friends, destroyed my life, and ruined the past _year_ of my life. Not to mention, apparently you lied to Tori. I don't see the reason! She'd laugh with you! So would mom and dad!" Her chest heaved and her nostrils flared as the rage overcame her sorrow and fear. She'd had enough, she wasn't taking anymore of this. She turned her gaze to Sinjin, "Come on Sinjin. I'm going to need your help…"_

_ "What's going on?" She pushed her shoulder strap back onto her shoulder and started to leave the school, ignoring Cat's cries for her to turn back around. She'd had enough, she was going to finally put in that application for the university in Las Vegas and talk to her mentor, Mr. Russell. Only this time, she was cutting ties with her family for good. _

"Trina? Trina…" Her eyes flew open and Charlie was kneeling beside the tub, his hand on her shoulder and concerned eyes meeting hers. "Are you okay? You've been in here a couple hours…"

"I can't be here, Charlie. I can't…" She moved her head to his shoulder, weeping softly. Despite being clothed, Charlie wrapped his arms around his soaked wife, comforting her. "You don't understand…" Whether or not Cat and Robbie had been correct, and whether or not all or only one of Tori's friends had been involved in what ruined her last year of life in LA, she didn't care. "I hate them all so much, Charlie."

"It's okay sweetheart. It's okay." He gently kissed her forehead multiple times, still holding her close. "You don't hate anyone, you're just going through a very difficult time. Just don't forget, you're strong, you're the strongest woman I know. We love you very much. You can make it through this. You're here for a reason Trina, whether it's to face your past, solve this case, or both…you can make it. We're here for you."

"I know…" She breathed in slowly as his thumb swept away her tears. "Do you think…do you think it would have mattered, if Tori knew what they did?"

"What? Hiring fake boyfriends to make your life miserable? Probably…I think she would have cared." She shook her head, clenching her eyes shut at the twenty year old memory. Charlie had always been of the faith that Tori and her family did care about her. "Maybe you didn't see it, and I can understand with the way you say you were treated, but I do believe she cared."

"They tainted her, Charlie. You don't understand…they tainted her…" Charlie smirked subtly at her and tilted his head.

"What's that phrase you and Dad always have in regards to suspects?" She raised an eyebrow at him, glaring with suspicion. "Come on Trina, it's a favorite of yours. And a popular legal phrase too."

"Innocent until proven guilty?"

"Yes. Tori never knew, right?"

"I remember Cat and Robbie said she never knew…that it was Jade's plan…"

"And she cared more about you than anything in the world _before_ Hollywood Arts?"

"Yeah…but 'she's still my sister' stopped applying."

"Only in areas where they just verbally made fun of you. I think if you were physically hurt, she would have cared." She somehow doubted that. She didn't know how Tori felt regarding what put her in the hospital when her rope got cut in the one play. Other than the fact that Tori cried at her side once or twice, that was it.

Trina threw her head back and sighed as she leaned against the back of the tub. "I can't believe I have to solve that _demon's _mother's death. I have to give Jade the reassurance and comfort that her mother's death will be solved. Why the fuck can't I let her suffer?"

"Because…" Trina lifted her head back up as Charlie cupped his hand over her cheek and smiled lovingly into her eyes. "You're an officer of the law, it's your job to relieve the bereaved and solve the murders of their loved ones, regardless of who they are. You became a detective for that very reason, and you're still of a good heart. Otherwise, you wouldn't be the woman that I love, the woman our daughter admires with all her heart, or the woman that Joshua considers his 'hero mom'."

Her heart lifted up and she tenderly kissed Charlie's cheek. She was grateful for his comforting words, though they didn't help too much in regards to her distaste of having to help _Jade_ feel better, they reminded her that she'd taken a sworn moral and legal oath to never let any killer get away. He was right, this was her job, and she loved it more than anything, with the exception of her family. Doing what was right, that was the most important thing. It was the reason she solved Robbie's murder, and it would be the reason she not only solved the murder of Denise West, but captured the serial killer that terrorized families for twenty years.

Trina's lip tucked up into a smirk as she brushed her hair back, "Yeah, you're right…It's time to catch a serial killer then…I can do this." If it meant facing her past, she was more than willing. "Time to beat the hell out of this hellish town..."

* * *

Now it is known what went down, do give me your thoughts if you will


	16. Mark of a Leader

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 16 (Mark of a Leader)

"All right, the case is reopened," Trina was being briefed as well as briefing the LA CSI on the serial killer. She and DB were speaking with their lead investigator, Marshall Powers. There was a fierceness in her eyes, followed by an innate and wild desire to get this case finished as quickly as possible, but no matter how long it took to do so. "We've informed you of the victims, and we want to know why Henry West was charged without enough evidence."

"You'd have to speak with the original investigator," Marshall replied. They were walking down a long corridor towards the lab. He was running his hand through his thick blonde hair and gazing ahead with a sharp glare. He too was irritated with how swiftly Mr. West had been charged twenty years ago. "To think, if we had gotten the right guy, all these future lives would have been _stopped_."

"Exactly. But I always get my man, Marshall, so believe me when I say I won't rest until we are _sure_ to have the culprit." Marshall agreed with a nod. Trina's lips thinned and her hands clenched, there was nothing to douse the fire burning inside of her. A storm had come to LA, she would pave this town until she got what she needed. Her voice rose with determination as she ordered the prior investigator found. "I want the head of the investigator who pushed the case to be complete."

"Right. I think the confession was forced. Mr. West did not willfully gaive a confession. We have the questioning on tape."

"I want to see that first thing. Then I want to know why the confession wasn't thrown out. Got that?" He nodded once more. In the corner of her eyes, she saw DB giving her a look of pride. The leader in her was finally coming out, the fire that he said she'd seen in her for many years. She was going to take this by storm. "In other words, we're to be seeing the supervisor as well."

"Yes ma'am." She was aware that while this was out of their jurisdiction, the case was now an official part of a case _they_ were working, which made it their jurisdiction regardless.

"I appreciate your understanding on this issue and willingness to work with us."

"Agreed, I can say the same."

Once in the viewing room, she sat with Marshall and DB to watch the tape of the questioning regarding Henry West. The investigating officer, a tall man with curly brown hair and a sharp gaze glared down at the man eyeing photographs of his wife's dead body. He was in tears as the man yelled at him. Trina recognized Jade's father in an instant as how Tori described seeing him. This was a man who was supposed to be a haughty and stern mountain of a man, but here he'd been reduced to nothing.

_"I'm telling you all I know," Henry remarked. "I was at the campgrounds, why won't you ask them!"_

_ "Simple!" The officer slammed his hands on the desk and pointed to Henry, narrowing his eyes angrily. "Because you did it! It's always the husband." The investigator slammed his finger at the photo, then picked it up, practically shoving it in Henry's face. "This is what you did to your wife. You expect us to believe anyone else would savagely dismember this woman when it was you who found out she'd been cheating on you with two other men?"_

_ "Please understand, I'm telling you the truth…" The investigator scoffed and slowly brought his hand to his forehead._

_ "My god…Listen to me here…" In a sudden movement the officer grabbed Henry and lifted him up, slamming him against the wall and leaning in close. Henry yelled out, cursing under his breath. "I have seen many things in my years on the force, but nothing as gruesome as this. Now in every case, when a wife is this savagely murdered, it's the wife. So…I don't need your goddamn lies and I don't need to listen to some campground cashier tell me you weren't there between the hours of two and four 'fishing' when you were savagely murdering your wife! What I _need_ out of you is a confession, and I'm going to get that. Am I?" Henry whimpered as the man glared into his eyes. "Well? Are we going to play this game of cat and mouse?"_

_ "F-Fine…I-I did it. I killed her."_

_ "Good…" The man smirked and pulled Henry back to his chair, practically shoving him down. "Then why don't you tell me how you committed the crime?" _

"That's it, I've seen enough!" Trina roared. Marshall instantly flipped off the tape. Anger surged through her veins as she glared at the empty screen. How was this allowed? How was the officer not fired and the confession thrown out? "What _reason_ was this ignored? That is mishandling of the suspect! Abuse of powers! I want his head and I want it now."

Marshall tapped his chin and closed his eyes. "Ma'am that was Officer Tyler Keith, son of the Chief of Police at the time. Though twenty years ago, the chief has since passed on and Tyler no longer works the force."

"Do you think I _care_ who his daddy was? Because of him, a man who was possibly innocent has been in prison for twenty years." She pointed angrily at the screen and narrowed her eyes. "That tape should have been thrown out, regardless of whether his daddy would have fired anyone or not. An officer of the law abused his powers, manhandled a suspect, and he didn't get any repercussions for it? Hell no! We're not doing that here, not today. He could be serving jail time, and his 'papa' isn't around to protect him."

"Right." Marshall chuckled and closed his eyes, "I guess we've got some questioning to do now."

"Damn right we do! I said the first thing to do was to clear this man's name and get him out of prison. With that, we're at square one for solving the murder of Denise West. Solve her murder, we solve the murder of several others, and close the book on the Scissor Murderer for good."

"Agreed. I'll have my team look up the address for the officer and issue a warrant for his arrest."

23 Brecker Lane, the same street she lived on growing up. Her stomach was in knots, but her anger and passion over the injustice that had been done overrode the nausea trying to push its way through her. They passed the house she lived in with no trouble, that had been 39 Brecker Lane.

Once at the house, they waited for the former officer to answer the door. When it opened, an aged man with grey curly hair and faded blue eyes gazed sadly at them. He was slightly hunched over and was wearing a sweater vest. Marshall lifted his badge and exhaled sharply. "LAPD Homicide. Tyler Keith?" The man confirmed his name with a nod and Marshall lowered the badge. "We have a warrant for your arrest, we need to take you in for questioning, sir."

"What is my charge?"

"Coercing a suspect into a confession by abuse of police power." Tyler's lips thinned against each other and his jaw locked. He was beginning to remember, Trina could see it in his eyes.

Back in the questioning room, Tyler studied the various photographs after examining the tape of his forcing Mr. West into a confession. "I-I was so sure it was him. I knew we had him, all I needed was a confession."

"But you were _wrong," _Trina declared, pointing to the photographs of the remaining victims. "Because of your poor judgment an innocent man has been rotting in a cell for twenty years and has to wait twenty more years before his release. He may not even live that long." After all, Henry had been a little over fifty at the time of conviction, he was at least seventy now, and in twenty more years he would likely pass before seeing the light of day again. "While he sits in there, _someone else_ is doing the crime."

"The evidence…There was a damn pair of scissors and a knife with his prints on it…"

This time it was Marshall who held up the photos of the original crime scene, "There were also bloody rags and bloody gloves at the crime scene. Important pieces of evidence ignored in the original investigation. Not to mention, we now have to find investigate the campgrounds now and be sure to confirm whether or not Mr. West's alibi was correct. Even if he had done the crime, his confession _should have_ been thrown out."

"I understand that now, and I have lived with that moment in the back of my head for many years. I could never quite understand why."

Trina carefully took the remaining photos of the other victims and pointed to each one individually, "I'd like to point out six reasons why, Mr. Keith. Now, I'd like for you to explain to me how it's possible for Henry West to murder six women in similar fashion to his wife while locked in a prison cell for twenty years?" She smirked triumphantly as the man slowly shook his head, studying the photographs with a mild tremor in his hands. She wasn't sure if the tremor was from nervousness, or Parkinson's. Either way, this man was afflicted by something, and hopefully it was guilt. "Yeah Mr. Keith, where's your dad now?"

Hew put his hand over his mouth, closing his eyes as light tears left his eyes. Maybe she was getting through to him, maybe he realized the amount of trouble he was in. She had her work cut out for her in proving Mr. West's innocence in this case. She may have six victims, but that didn't necessarily prove his innocence when there _was_ a kitchen knife and pair of scissors that had his prints on them. She just needed to focus on the bloody rag and gloves, it was always possible that he was framed for her murder.

If he truly did the crime, then that meant there had to be someone else who knew and studied the case so intently that they were doing the same. Her intuition, which was usually correct, was telling her that this man was indeed innocent. After proving it, she would have to work that much harder to find the real killer. It wasn't going to be easy solving a twenty year old cold case, but she could do it. She had faith in herself, in DB, and in the LAPD homicide team.

"I thought, I thought it had to be him. It was almost always the husband. Every time…"

"Why, Mr. Keith? I can understand being passionate about it, but _why_ would you let that passion make you act unprofessionally?" Trina put her hand over her heart and breathed in as his eyes moved up to hers. "I've been passionate about cases before myself, but I wouldn't let that passion cause me to do something like this."

Tyler leaned forward, keeping his arms folded on the table, and looked her square in the eyes. "Twenty three years ago my ex wife was murdered. For two years they tried to find out who did it, and it turned out it was the man she remarried. But she never _got justice_. The man killed himself and left a note admitting to the murder. That _still_ haunts me today, Detective."

"Then I have three words for you. Words I would tell _any _officer in that situation." She narrowed her eyes and glared back with a particular coldness that the others in the room surely felt. She lifted three fingers, pulling one down with each word she said. "I…don't…care." Sure she felt sympathy for him, having had to deal with that, but it still shouldn't have made a difference. "You were an officer of the law, you had a moral and legal oath to serve, protect, and honor the _law._ It was your _duty_ to prove someone innocent. To punish the unjust and the guilty. I shouldn't have to tell you that, since your father was the police chief at the time! Your error in judgment caused a mistake that turned from a ripple to a tidal wave in no time flat. My good man, I'm sorry if my words hurt you." She leaned back, folding her hands on the table and closing her eyes. "I sympathize with you. You lost your ex wife to a madman I'm sure, it wasn't right and it wasn't just how it happened. However, I lose respect when it is what affects your job performance. You got away with it because your father was the Chief and nobody dared to stand up to the Chief's son."

"I know…perhaps they should have."

"And risk their jobs? Who were they to do that? Who were they to challenge _you _after what you did? For all they knew, you would have fired them on the spot. I'm sorry Mr. Keith, but I believe you will have plenty of time to reflect on your mistakes."

With that, she rose up from the table and began to walk off. DB and Marshall followed her out, leaving Tyler in the questioning room for now. He would be sent to a holding cell soon. The courts and judges would have to decide his fate. He may have had some pull twenty years ago, but now times were different. Just like Trina was soon to head a fresh and new CSI team in Vegas, all the old investigators and law enforcement of LA were gone. Just like that, his pull was diminished.

"We may want to consider leaving this investigation out of the press for now," DB suggested. Always a wise idea, as the press was known for inciting the public and interfering with investigations. However, it would still be hard to do so considering the circumstances.

"We can try. It is necessary…Still can't believe the nerve of some people."

* * *

Your thoughts?


	17. Clearing the Name

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

Chapter 17 (Clearing the Name)

This was the difficult part, confronting the father of Jade. She had to separate herself from that past and all the anger and animosity she had towards Jade. Mr. West wasn't to blame for his daughter, or for what his daughter had done to her in what was deemed some 'cruel and sick joke'. No, she was better than Mr. Keith, she wasn't letting a past issue cloud her judgment on a case. Not a bit, she was spearheading this and getting it finished as quickly as she could.

With DB and Marshall, she headed into the prison yard where Henry West was seated in a table in the corner of the fenced in area. He was incredibly thin, had a balding head, empty eyes and sagging cheeks. In essence, he looked like what he was, a tired old man. She felt sorry for him, and knew that informing him about the reopening of his wife's case and about his innocence wasn't going to be much comfort to him.

He looked up at the three detectives, nervousness in his eyes. Trina eyed him with compassion and slowly sat down in front of him. "Don't be afraid Mr. West, we're not here to hurt you. We think you can help us, and we want to help you." Henry scoffed and glanced away, understandably skeptical. She put her hand to her chest and breathed out. "I know what happened to you in that room twenty years ago, and I am promising you, justice is being done here today, but we _need_ your help. We are reworking your wife's case…"

"Why bother?" He looked back at her with his blank eyes. His voice was weak and hoarse. His pale skin was covered in liver spots, bumps and bruises. His teeth were cracked and separated while his body continued to tremble worse than that of Mr. Keith. "I'm just a decaying old man with nothing left to live for." She furrowed her brow and felt her heart sink. "No one listened to me back then, all that officer wanted was to throw me in jail, and that's exactly what he did. I was _innocent_, but what did it matter? Whose word was anyone going to take? Mine or the son of the goddamn police chief? I'm going to die in this prison!"

"No, you don't have to, we're trying to work on proving your innocence. The officer in question has been charged"

"Good!" He crossed his arms and turned away. Trina looked up to DB and Marshall, then returned to Henry. She had to reach him somehow. Closing her eyes in thought, she took a deep breath and exhaled softly. "Your daughter is out there, Mr. West. Your daughter, for twenty years, has believed you killed her mother. For her, and for you, we are set out to prove your innocence."

"Why! That's what I want to know. Why? Why bother with an old man that no one gives a shit for?" Irritated and losing patience, Trina tapped her fingertips on the table and raised an eyebrow. After a minute of thought she let out an exhausted sigh and decided to come out with what was actually happening.

"Because the man, woman, or _thing_ that killed your wife is still out there. Not only are they still out there, but they've killed about six others. If we can prove your innocence and solve this case, we'll put a stop to this serial killer." The man looked back at her with a deep frown and faithless eyes.

"If you're so adamant, then I'll help you." He pointed his thumb to his chest before coughing up phlegm and clearing his throat. "I'm telling you though, I'm innocent. What do you need to know?"

"I need details of that day. What were you doing? Where were you? February 28th, 2013 between two to four in the afternoon? Now I understand it's been twenty years, and it's easy to forget, so-"

"Don't bother, I've replayed that damn day over in my head constantly." He tapped his head with a closed and scarred fist. Her stomach flipped when she saw all the scars on his hands, had he been through fights? It was likely he would have had to defend himself, being labeled a wife murderer. "At one-forty I went to the _River Creek Campgrounds_ to think. Yes, my wife had confessed to me moments before that she'd been cheating on me with two men, and in order to clear my head, I left. I was angry, yes, but I was _hurt_. I didn't kill my wife, however. The man at the front desk can tell you that…"

"Who was he? That's the alibi we need confirmed." Henry squinted his eyes, trying desperately to think. Trina let him have his time, understanding the fragility of the situation and how dire things were right now. She wasn't going to push, because if she pushed him, she ran the risk of making him shut himself to her. If that happened, then she wasn't getting anything, and things would become that much harder.

"Late teens, I think. I paid on my card to use the lake. I think the boy that was there, his name was Bruce Reynolds. He had freckles and red hair, if I recall. The campgrounds were constantly monitored by camera and security, if I remember, it was something of a sacred location…"

"Okay, so do you know that anyone else saw you there?"

"I'm sure plenty did, I was in an open area. I checked in at two o'clock with Bruce, and was there for the rest of the day until sundown. I'm pretty sure I checked out with that same cashier."

This was good news, they had something to go off of now. Of course, if they could confirm this alibi it meant losing a possible suspect. It was worth it though, if it meant doing the right thing and clearing an innocent man's name.

"They knew me at that campsite, I frequented it quite often. Many times I'd take my daughter and my wife there." His eyes lit up with delight as he remembered his old favorite site. With a smile, Trina reached over and pat his hand reassuringly. He moved his gaze to hers and smiled back.

"Mr. West, I promise you, you will get to go to those campgrounds again. We're going to clear your name, we're going to find out who killed your wife, and we will release you."

"Thank you, detectives. You know, I've not seen my daughter in ten years. It's painful for a man to have to go through that…" Her heart stopped and instantly her father flashed into her mind. She pulled her hand back and retained her smile, though internally she felt a splash of guilt. "I guess that's the price one has to pay for murder, right? Even if…you're an innocent man." Suddenly she remembered the weapons found on the scene, and the gloves. She gasped softly and leaned back.

"Mr. West, do you know of anyone that might try to frame you? There was a knife and pair of scissors used in your wife's murder with your prints on them. However, there was also a bloody rag nearby with gloves as well…" Henry frowned at the statement, but try as he might, he could think of nothing.

"I don't recall any enemies. Maybe the investigating officer."

"It's a nice thought, but he's actually already been cleared of that murder by his own superiors at the time of the murder."

"Yeah. I figured. Anyway, good luck, I hope you'll find whoever did this to my wife, to those innocent women, and teach them a thing or two about justice."

"I will, Mr. West. Rest assured. I will."

When they arrived at the home of Bruce Reynolds, the man appeared to have a nice family and a very nice one story house. The pictures that adorned the wall were of a wife with a young baby in her arms. The baby aged throughout the pictures, and other children appeared throughout.

Mrs. Reynolds came out with coffee for the detectives as Bruce stepped down from the stairs. His hair was slicked back and he was wearing a suit. Trina raised an eyebrow as he flashed the detectives what they would typically call a 'lawyer grin'. "Good afternoon detectives, how can I help you?"

Trina thanked Mrs. Reynolds and sipped her coffee cup while DB and Marshall leaned back into the couch. They were sitting on either side of her. Bruce turned the brown recliner towards them and took a seat. "What do you do for a living, Bruce?"

"I work as a family and civil claims attorney." She grinned, chuckling inwardly at the triumph of her intuition. She had him pegged just right. Of course, as an attorney, he wasn't going to lie to them. "Is there an issue? My son didn't crash someone's car did he…we usually end up finding out about these things _after _the fact."

She shook her head, "No worries Mr. Reynolds. We're actually reworking an old case and we want to confirm an alibi with you." She opened the folder in her lap and withdrew a picture of Henry, offering it up to Bruce. He took the photo and gently rubbed his chin. "That would be Henry West. Twenty years ago he said he was at the _River Creek Campgrounds_, and you were the cashier that checked him in and checked him out. He was wrongfully convicted."

"Twenty years is a long time. But yes, I do remember him. I knew the police were suspecting him of murder, but I never knew they convicted. They never asked to confirm anything with me." He handed the photo back and crossed his leg over, resting his heel on his knee. "But yes, I can confirm it. The security guy on site that day has all the camera footage, I think he still works there now as River Creek's primary officer. Is there any way I can help?" He put his hand to his chest and lifted his eyebrows, "If a man's been wrongfully convicted, I'll do what I can to help."

"You're a lawyer and I'm an officer, we're both executers of the law, so I know you're obligated to truthful witness and testimony. So that's the best thing you can do, to give witness to what occurred on February 28th, 2013 between two and four."

"I see. Henry West did check in at the campgrounds around two, I remember that." He clasped his hands together and rested them atop his leg, sighing as he closed his eyes to recall all the details. "Proof of that I _know_ can be found at the manager's office. They've kept a book of guests at the campgrounds from the day they opened to this present day. I wrote his name down in that book, obviously, it was my job at the time. I had to write down when he came and when he left."

"And when did he leave, do you remember?"

"It was around sunset, so maybe five-thirty?" He leaned back and propped his elbows on the top of the recliner. "As mentioned, the security guards also keep record of all security footages, so they would have that day as well. Now my question to you…" He leaned forward and looked into the eyes of the three detectives, his voice deepened and grew tense. "Why did no one investigate the campgrounds? You said he was wrongfully convicted, I can understand that because no police officer ever checked the campgrounds."

"I know, we've taken into custody the investigating officer, and we will be correcting his mistake."

"That mistake might have cost a man twenty years, huh?"

"Yes sir."

"You know, they say lawyers are a bunch of crooks, a bunch of dishonest men, but I assume you have as much respect for the law as I do. I'm no dishonest lawyer, and I don't know one that is. So when I say I'll do what I can to help, believe me, I will, even if that means finding an attorney for Mr. West. Right this wrong, detectives. A man in prison, his family, and the family of the victim is counting on you. Remember that, because clearly that investigating officer forgot."

"We will."

When they arrived at the campground, the manager willingly handed over the record book. Henry's name _was_ listed on the exact day and time that they'd been given. This meant the official time of death of his wife, 3:20 PM, he was at the campgrounds.

The security officer confirmed Henry's location and showed the footage, showing Mr. West walking around the lake and fishing in multiple locations before packing up at sundown when the campgrounds were closing up the fishing for the day. His alibi was rock solid, and the case was blown wide open.

All the evidence was still in the LAPD evidence locker, where they would have the murder weapons. A kitchen knife, and a pair of scissors, items that were used on a daily basis. Even the victim's prints were on the knife! The fingerprints were _useless_.

"We have a new coroner working the case," Marshall said while walking with Trina to the coroner's office. Once there, they met the coroner, Eric Hamil. He was a tall man with a dark complexion and soft brown eyes. "He's going over the lab results of the original, fortunately nothing was doctored that we can assume."

Eric had the images of the body undergoing original examination, the last coroner circled everything and documented all his findings, so Eric should be able to tell them a bit of what the last coroner said. It was possible they may have to exhume the body, but she truly wasn't sure if that was necessary.

"As you can see by these pictures…" Eric pointed towards the wounds on the first image, clearing his throat as the detectives surrounded him. "It was a murder of passion, heat of the moment. Unlike your six murder victims, she was _not_ tortured. The fatal wound, which the coroner presumed first would have been the stab wound to the heart. The victim was also stabbed in the stomach and the side."

As he spoke, Trina visualized the sequence in her head. She could see the murder victim charging Denise, swinging the knife downward onto the woman's chest. The next swing hit the side, then the stomach, flooring the victim. The suspect grabbed a pair of scissors off the counter and cut her lips to form a 'liar's smirk', then proceeded to push the wedding ring into the victim's throat.

Trina ran her finger along her chin as Eric ceased his explanation and looked towards her. "Since we're clearing Mr. West, I think possible suspects to question would be the two men she was said to have been cheating on him with."

"That is a possibility, should we question Mr. West for their names?"

DB nodded, "It's necessary. We've cleared him, now we have two other men to clear. More importantly, we need to discover if anyone has been vacationing near Las Vegas at the time of the remaining six murders."

"Right." She paused and looked towards the victim's images with a hefty sigh. Of course, they still needed to contact Jade and tell her that her mother's case was being reopened. Her gaze fell onto Marshall and her eyebrows lifted up, the perfect guy to do so. Jade didn't need to know of her involvement at this point. "Marshall, I need someone from your department to notify next of kin. That means Jade West-or Oliver, needs to be informed her mother's case is being reopened."

Marshall agreed to the suggestion, it was to the best benefit that the next of kin be notified, especially if they had to exhume the body. Likely, Eric was going to want to. Anything could be said of the human bone, and considering how the chest was cut open around the heart area, the ribs probably had some scratches on them.

* * *

So Mr. West has been cleared and Trina has just avoided having to be the one to notify Jade. Unfortunately, she's going to have to confront Jade eventually. Let me know your thoughts on this chapter


	18. At the Beach

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 18 (At the Beach)

"So you've cleared the father, what now?" Trina laid in Charlie's arms on the middle bed in the hotel room. The kids had the bed near the wall while DB slept on the bed closest to the window. Of course, DB had taken the kids out for ice cream, leaving the couple some time alone for privacy. "I know you can't disclose everything about the case or anything like that, I'm just concerned for you."

"Yeah. The father's cleared, so now there's a lot of legal mumbo jumbo to deal with for him." She took a deep breath and put her head to his shoulder, she honestly didn't know what they were going to do. They needed a lead suspect and had none. "Both the men she was dating have airtight alibis." The first man was at _work_, he worked construction, and every employee he had was able to verify him. The second man was in a jail cell for having gotten into a bar fight the night before. "We're out of leads. I mean hell, even Jade had an alibi, she was with her friend who vouched for her then and probably would vouch for her now." The thing was something was off about the whole thing, in the initial report there were signs that Mrs. West had been having sex just hours before she died. Both men were also said to have arrived at their locations just shortly before her ETA.

"Sounds fairly difficult. Any signs of guilt with this one? Don't you usually say serial kills have at least one victim they feel regret over?"

"Yes, but all the victims looked pretty roughhoused, even this one, so I'm not so sure if the serial killer had remorse or not." They had actually been there in LA for almost a week now, it was getting exhausting. "I just want all of this to end. I want to go _home_." He rubbed her arm and hugged her close.

"I know sweetheart, I know." She melted into his chest and kissed his collarbone, she was overjoyed that he was here with her children, but she was starting to wonder if they needed to get back to Vegas. She didn't know how long this investigation was going to take, and she didn't want her family to be cooped up in a hotel for too long. "It'll be a relief when all of this is over, sure, but I know you'll do great until then. You always do."

"I'm fighting every day _not_ to break down and fall apart, I don't know how anyone else would deal with this."

"Yeah, but that's a sign of strength."

"Strength?" She scoffed.

"Yes, you're strong Trina. You've always _been_ strong. The fact that you aren't breaking down means exactly that, you're pushing forward and not giving up, and that's what matters. Let yourself cry it out if you have to, you know you can, but you won't give up. I know you too well for that."

"I don't have time to fall down and give up. I have to move forward, you know me. It's just this place…bringing out the worst in me." Everywhere she turned was something that reminded her of her past life, and she hated it. It was a struggle to resist the pull. "The sooner I'm done with this case, the better. I just have to keep telling myself, it's all for justice and it's all for a promotion. I have to keep fighting. I won't lose."

"Maybe you should consider taking the kids to the beach? Relax and get some much needed downtime. I know Dad loves the beach."

"Great idea, but what if I run into someone I know? I don't want to run that risk."

He smirked and wagged his eyebrows, "I guess that's a chance you're going to have to take." She smiled at him, sighing in defeat as she pushed her body closer to his. He wasn't going to let up either, so most likely, they'd be heading to the beach. She still didn't want to be found, but he was right, they had to do _something_. LA was a big down, so it was likely she wouldn't run into anyone she knew.

"Permission to run if I see anyone I know?" He laughed and kissed the top of her head.

"Sure. Dad and I will distract and you can hide. But I can't promise that our kids won't point you out and announce you as their mother. After all, you are the light of their world. What child _wouldn't_ want you as their momma?" She laughed as joy filled her heart. She was extremely proud of her family, they had her back until the end of time. "You want me to call Dad up and have him bring the kids back? We only have one rental car."

"Go for it. I agree, the beach is great this time of year. The kids will love it."

Once at the beach, Trina and Charlie set up the towels and beach chairs they rented from the beach's check in area. Still, no one recognized her, so she was extremely thrilled at that. They laid back and Trina watched her two children running gleefully along the shoreline.

They really did seem to enjoy their first time at the beach. It brought back happier memories of her own time running along the shores with her little sister. "You were right Charlie, this was a good idea." He reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Beside them, DB set up his chair and umbrella. Trina raised her eyebrow at him and stared until he caught her looking at her.

"What?" He smiled sheepishly and gazed up at the umbrella. "I'm a pale old man, I'm susceptible to skin cancer." She laughed as he sat down.

"You know you do fine in the sun."

"That may be so. I'd rather not take unnecessary risks."

"Point taken. As hot as hell is, LA is hotter. Must be why this place is hell to me." She removed her shades for the moment, examining her lenses for smudges. She wiped them with her shirt and returned the shades back. They were all wearing light clothing, but none wanted to wear swimsuits. Though Megan had a full one piece and Joshua was wearing swim trunks with a light shirt. Trina wound up applying so much suntan lotion to their bodies that they had to take the bottle away from her themselves! Perhaps she was a tad overprotective. Though, it was more than she could say of her own mother.

The last time they went to the beach, which was a couple years before Tori went to Hollywood Arts, their mother didn't bother making sure they remembered the suntan lotion. They forgot, and wound up like overcooked fish in the sun. It was not pleasant.

As the kids started to run into the distance, she called out to them, causing them to stop and look back. "Don't go off too far, kids! I still want to be able to see you, come back a little closer, please." The two hurried back, then ran for the ocean. They had life jackets, so she wasn't worried about them drowning. She wasn't sure that Joshua could swim yet, she knew Megan was like a fish in water.

As they swam, they came across a girl with a medium complexion and dark hair over her shoulders. The trio began talking, striking up a friendship with this young child. The girl looked vaguely familiar to her, but she wasn't concerned.

She wiped the sweat off her brow and looked over at Charlie, "I'm beginning to remember another reason I left, it's sweltering out here. I mean, I know it's hot in Vegas, but Jesus this is insane." She was burning up, not used to California heat anymore. It was almost as bad as having been stuck in Beck's RV so long ago!

"Need me to grab you some water?"

"Yes please." He reached down into the cooler they had and pulled out a Deja Blue water bottle. She took it and hastily unfastened the cap. "Thank you, dear."

On another part of the beach, Tori sat with Jade and Cat, who managed to drag her along to the beach. "Who are those kids talking to Katrina?" Jade asked, removing her shades. Tori looked over and shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't overly comfortable being out on the beach, and Andre wanted her home. He was especially not happy with her getting involved with the women.

Jade's kids, Zach and Lauren were close by, Jade didn't want her four year old to run off. They wanted to go play in the water, but she was apparently terrified of letting her kids anywhere near water. "Why can't we go play with Katrina?" Lauren asked her mom. Tori raised her eyebrows and Jade shook her head. "She gets to have fun and is playing with other kids on the beach! Why can't we?"

"Because I said no," Jade remarked. Tori flinched at the woman snapping at her children. She understood Jade was uptight in recent days, which was why she was at the beach in the first place. Apparently her mother's death was being looked at again, and her father cleared of the murder. It affected Jade very deeply, she said it made her very afraid to think that someone else had killed her mom and was lurking about out there, free. Jade's eyes softened and she reached down, running her hands through Lauren's hair. "I'm sorry baby, mama didn't mean to snap…"

"It's okay mama…"

Lauren scurried back to Zach and the sand castle they were building. Jade pulled her sun hat down and Tori looked away from her. "I know things are tense with your mom's case and all, but don't take it out on the kids."

"Yeah, I know. I'm actually starting to get a headache…probably all this sun."

"In that big hat?" Tori couldn't help but to laugh, Jade was wearing what really looked like a mini sombrero with a ribbon around it. Her eyes danced over to Katrina, she often let the girl wander a little as long as she remained within eyesight. However, she could almost barely see her daughter or the kids she was talking to. She didn't like that. "Andre's going to be mad that we're not getting home."

"Tell him to shove it up his ass."

"Now I _would_, but-"

"Too much of a pushover, you always were." Jade's words stung her and she quickly looked over to her former friend, but she was too weary to defend herself against words that were true. Jade rolled her eyes and Cat nodded in agreement. "Here's the deal Tori, you being a pushover makes you a prime candidate to be controlled easily by dominant and controlling men. You're weak. Hell, I'd bet your sister's stronger than you by now!" Cat shot Jade an odd and angry look, before looking away. Tori flinched, it was a harsh way to bring up her sister, whom she wanted so badly to be here.

"Don't say that, Jade…"

"What? You know it's true. Didn't she leave to pursue some sort of criminal justice career? You have to have thick skin for a job in that field. Instead, you're married to a man who probably killed his own grandmother in a fit of frustration! I'm willing to bet…"

Tori rolled her eyes and looked away, scoffing at the woman. It was ridiculous, _absurd_ for Jade to say such things. "Andre says his grandma died of a heart attack."

Jade rolled her head to the side, groaning in irritation, "Not my point. My point is that you're married to a man that constantly drinks and shoves you around when he's drunk. And according to you that's _all_ he does." Cat fixated her eyes on something else in the distance while Jade continued her rant. Tori noticed Cat looking away, but didn't think anything of what she might be staring at, nor did she care. "Who clearly you're not happy with! Hell, you even cheated on the guy."

"It was a one night stand, years ago, and I was drunk." Okay, so maybe she wasn't drunk, but at the very least, she regretted the action. "Stop talking about my husband like he's some kind of asshole, please?" He _was_ one, but she enjoyed her days of blind denial. What did it matter? There wasn't anyone around to slap her into action, no one to give her the strength she needed to push Andre to the curb. No, that person went away twenty years ago.

Cat snapped her head back, her eyes wide and eyebrows arched high, "You defend a jerk husband that's drunk and probably _is_ an asshole but you never defended your own sister?" Tori groaned, her hand flew to her forehead as her stomach twisted up. Why this again? Why did Cat always bring this up? "Your sister was innocent, and she needed you Tori. You always said you needed her, but this time she needed _you_, and you didn't care! Did you know that the year she left-"

"Cat, shut up," Jade said with nonchalance in her tone. Cat silenced and Tori watched suspiciously as Jade sipped on her iced mocha. She was a little concerned on what Cat was about to say, but before she could ask questions, her phone began blasting out with Andre's ringtone. Jade's lips moved from the straw and her eyes danced over to Tori's purse. "Let me guess, that's husband of the year calling?"

"Unfortunately…"

Back with Trina, her children came running up to her after their new friend was called away by a parent. She didn't pay any attention, so she didn't hear the caller. "Hey mom!" Joshua exclaimed happily. "Guess what! We made a new friend." Trina leaned forward, smiling brightly at her son.

"That's great! What was her name?"

"Katrina." Joshua sighed and Trina felt an immediate shift of energy. "She said her dad isn't a great guy though. Do you think you could help her?"

"I don't know Joshua, I don't have much pull here in LA on anything other than the case I'm working with right now."

"Oh…well that's sad. At least she says her mommy's great. Her dad drinks a lot, but don't we all drink?" Megan looked over to Joshua and Trina's eyebrow rose skeptically as Megan answered the question for her.

"Drinking means drunk, Joshua. That's when someone isn't aware of their surroundings. Right, momma?" Megan looked up at her in question. This was a very difficult question, as it was being asked by two _children_ who didn't need to understand this quite yet. "They get angry and violent when drunk, like Katrina's dad?"

"Um sometimes. It uh…it depends more on the personality of the person." Granted Megan understood because she sometimes looked over Trina's case files, she wanted to be just like her mom and grandfather, and that meant she wanted to go into the criminal justice field when she grew up. She wanted to carry on the family legacy.

This time DB came to the rescue, leaning forward and putting his hands to his grandchildren's shoulders, "Hey kids! Are you hungry? Your mother tells me there's some great food in this town." Megan and Joshua lit up and relief swept over Trina, she did _not _want to carry on a conversation about drunkenness with her kids right now.

It sucked that the girl they met had a father who was so often drunk, and possibly abusive, but she honestly couldn't do anything about it. She _wanted_ to, she sympathized with that little girl for that matter, but legally she wasn't allowed to do anything unless there were something that seriously happened. Not to mention this wasn't her jurisdiction for cases like that, at best she could get Marshall to do something.

Though, if it were a matter of child abuse, she could report it. She didn't know the full circumstances, so she wasn't about to get involved in a situation she knew nothing of. She could get sued for doing that. Not to mention, all she knew was 'Katrina' was the girl's name. Fascinating, though, that it was similar to her name.

* * *

Well what are your thoughts? Seems Cat and Jade were trying to make Tori think, and it looks like Cat's still been sitting on what happened to Trina all these years. Also, I'll bite, Cat was the only one that caught a glimpse of Trina in the distance, but likely wasn't certain if it _was_ Trina or not. Let me know your thoughts.


	19. Seeking the Aunt

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 19 (Seeking the Aunt)

"Momma's not going to be happy about this," Joshua said while following Megan around. Megan was going full investigative, like her mom that she idolized so much. After talking to Katrina at the beach, Megan was tipped off to who the girl said her mom was. _Tori, mother's name is Tori._ This could possibly mean their _aunt!_ They were simply walking around the hotel. Their mom had gone back to work with their grandpa and their dad fell asleep on the bed.

"I know, but it won't take much. It's just…I think Katrina might be Aunt Tori's daughter, so our cousin!" She saw the hope in her new little brother's eyes, of course he'd be happy to see anyone else in his family. Megan wanted to find Tori, to personally see what the woman was like, to know why she hurt her mother the way she did. Obviously their mom wasn't going to want them telling Tori where she was, so she'd lay off that. "Joshua, just stay by my side, okay?"

"All right." She knew her dad was a heavy sleeper, once he fell asleep, he stayed asleep for a long time. She'd been able to swipe the card key to use on opening the door again. "She said her dad's name was Andre, and I _know_ Andre was the name of one of Aunt Tori's friends that mom talks about. Harris might have been his last name. Not to mention, Katrina, that's close to Mom's name."

"You sound like Mom." Megan beamed with pride and puffed her chest outwards, smirking at her little brother.

"I'm going to be a big time detective one day! Just like momma." She was going to time this accurately. They didn't need long to search the hotel for something like a phone book, which her mom always said was surprised were still in existence. "If we can find out where Tori and Andre Harris live, then maybe we can find a way to contact them!"

"Why do I get the feeling you're going to get me into a lot of trouble growing up?" She flipped her hair back and smirked at Joshua, wagging her eyebrows knowingly. This action earned her a sigh of exasperation. "I'm not wrong, am I? We're going to be getting into loads of trouble in the future…"

"Yep! I've always been a bit of a troublemaker, Josh, and now I'm your older sister. Pleased to meet you!" She flashed a grin and Joshua laughed. "Okay! So dad, when he falls asleep, always _stays asleep_ for at least five hours. It's rare though for him to take naps in the day…" Joshua gave her a skeptical look, she knew he was probably concerned what they were going to do that would take five hours.

She stopped at a corner and gazed out to the counter in the front lobby. Quietly, she scanned the lobby for prying eyes as she figured her mom often did on the job. Megan hurried across the room with Joshua running behind her. Once she made it to the counter, the female receptionist smiled down at her. "Aw, hello there little sweetie, are you lost?"

"No, but can I see your phonebook?"

"Yes dear. Can I ask who you're looking for?" The woman opened the phonebook on the counter and Megan stood up on her toes. She started flipping through the pages, not really wanting to answer the receptionist's question.

_"H…" _She narrowed her eyes, scanning with her finger through the names. _"Hal, Hap, Har…Harp…" _This was taking too long to find Harris in the phonebook, but the key was patience. She didn't think she was going to just run out and find them, not in a city where she didn't know the streets.

Back home she loved exploring, she'd often explore the area around the school and around her house. She knew the streets like the back of her hand. Here, she was just a fly in the giant soup that was LA. Heck, she only ever heard it referred to as LA, not Las Angeles, so that's what she had thought the city was named for the longest time. It wasn't until she was eight or nine that she discovered it meant Las Angeles, and LA was actually the abbreviation for the state, Louisiana.

"Why does mom not want us to see Aunt Tori?" She felt Joshua pulling at the back of her shirt and quickly looked over her shoulder. He had a curious look in his eyes. She understood he didn't know much about Tori, and how much their mom wanted him knowing at his age, she wasn't sure.

"Because Aunt Tori's friends hurt momma, and Aunt Tori didn't do anything about it." He puckered his lips and furrowed his brow, clearly hurt by this revelation. Megan returned to the book, sighing heavily as she stumbled across Andre Harris. It was surprisingly the only Andre Harris in the phonebook, they lived on 298 Van Cooper Street, which sounded vaguely familiar to her. Humming slightly, she looked up to the receptionist, "What street are we on?"

"Van Cooper." No wonder it sounded familiar, she heard her parents talking about it on the way over to the hotel! She gasped and looked to the door. Above the door was the number 480. They were just a couple blocks from whatever house the two lived in? Amazing! Chances were likely their mom was _not_ aware of this, she wouldn't want to be anywhere near the same street her sister was on.

"Thank you!" The receptionist glared suspiciously at her, as if suspecting her of being up to something. Megan's first thought was to figure out how to distract her so they could leave the hotel. This woman was probably not going to be the type of lady to let two kids go walking out the door unsupervised. She took a step back and put her hand to Joshua's shoulder, guiding him back to the wall they'd been hiding next to moments earlier. "Okay, so here's the thing. We have to get past her."

"Okay? So wait, you read that big book?"

"Yeah. I do a lot of writing, so I like to read." She had been reading at a sixth grade level when she was in the second grade, and now she could read books that a high school student would read. One of her usual troubles, she was always getting herself in trouble. She chuckled nervously and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm a mischievous kid, what more can I say?"

"What does that mean exactly?"

"Troublemaker."

"Got it."

"The reason I don't talk to momma that much about my friends is I'm always the one getting _them_ into trouble." She scratched her head, laughing lightly. She'd had enough of this, it was time to figure a way out of the hotel. They'd come back before her dad woke up. They had to, she didn't want him worrying, because then he was going to call their mom and she'd start worrying. Things would get really hairy from that point. They'd probably be grounded too. "We might get grounded for this, so are you prepared?"

"Actually I might want to go back to Dad, but I don't mind." He flashed a toothy grin and Megan quickly nodded. "Are you sure we can get back here before Dad wakes up and mom or grandpa get off work?" She narrowed her eyes on the receptionist. She was certain if they timed this right, things would be fine. "Plus, what are we going to do once we get there? I mean…Aunt Tori doesn't know about us. At least, I'm pretty sure she doesn't know about me."

"No you're right, she doesn't even know we exist. I won't tell her what mom's doing or anything like that, I just want to _know_. I want to know _why_ she did the things she did, that's _all_. Why didn't she treat Momma with the love and respect she deserved?" Joshua nodded and hugged her waist.

"I'd stand up for you if I had friends talking bad about you, Megan." Her heart swelled and she hugged him back, she loved this kid with all her heart. No matter what, she would want to make things work between the two of them, she wasn't going to let what happened between her mom and Aunt happen to the two of them. "I love you sis."

"Love you too little bro. So remember to stay close, I don't want anything to happen to you." When she looked around the corner, she saw the receptionist walk into the back room. "She's gone! Let's move!" With that, she took Joshua's hand, smirked with determination, and made a run for the door. He let out a quick yelp and Megan burst through the doors.

She knew that streets often had even numbers on one side and odd numbers on others, and both the hotel and address of Tori were even numbered, so they wouldn't have to worry about crossing any busy streets.

Megan saw that the numbers were descending to the right and increasing on the left. With that, she bolted to the right, with Joshua running behind her. Halfway to the place, the businesses on the street shifted to some creepy, run down homes.

Her heart began pounding as she started to grow increasingly anxious upon seeing boarded windows and broken mailboxes. "How much farther?" Joshua asked while looking around at the homes. Megan was grateful that there weren't any homeless or scary people wandering the streets.

She glanced at one home they were passing and continued onwards, "We passed 322, the house we're looking for is 298, so we have about...not much more."

"Why does Aunt Tori live in a neighborhood that's this scary?"

"I don't know." They had neighborhoods like these back home, but their mom often_ forbade_ her from entering into the areas that appeared to be more dangerous. She wanted to be independent, to show her mom she could take care of herself and be strong, but now she was just nervous and debating going back. The only reason they weren't, was due to being close in tow to their aunt's home. "I guess we'll find out. I'm looking forward to seeing our cousin though, aren't you? Aunt Tori and Uncle Andre…I wonder what they're like."

"Y-Yeah…" Joshua huddled close to her. She could feel his body trembling and was almost certain they needed to turn back now. Of course, by the time she thought of doing that, they stepped in front of 298, practically running into a small black mailbox in the process.

They turned towards the house and were astonished by what they saw. Unlike the rundown homes of before, this house had a freshly cut lawn with a neatly paved sidewalk going up the middle. The house had a small front patio with a wooden rocking chair. The house itself was a one story yellow brick home with a brown oak door and oval glass window in it, and two windows with four panes on either side of the door.

"Well there's a surprise, Josh…they live in a _nice_ looking house."

"Didn't Katrina say her grandpa lived with them?"

"Yeah. Chances are he keeps the place pretty well kept." She took a deep breath and slowly closed her fists. She was ready now, to step in and interrogate her aunt, to get the truth out of her. "Finally. After all these years, I'm going to know, I'm going to know why she hurt momma."

"Some of the things Katrina said bother me just a little…"

"Yeah…I can understand that." For one, their uncle being a man who drinks and becomes angry, that was a bit of a problem. "We won't stay long, Joshua. I promise. I'll protect you little brother." No harm would come to him, not while she was around. "Let's do this. You ready?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Hmm…not really." She flashed an innocent grin and Joshua chuckled. He was the one who asked to tag along in the first place. Sure, she wanted him to, but she probably could have done without the possibility of throwing her little brother into danger. Now that they found their aunt, _maybe_ they wouldn't _be_ in any imminent danger.

* * *

Those two kids are going to be in so much trouble later, heh. Well they found their aunt's place, so lets see what happens. Andre's not home and won't be home during their initial visit, so that's a plus. Trina will have great fears of her children being around Andre (And perhaps later those fears may come into fruition). Let's see how the meeting with the Aunt goes, do let me know what you thought of Megan's sneakiness


	20. A New Hope

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 20 (A New Hope)

Tori sighed as her daughter hopped up and down on the couch, complaining of boredom. David was sitting in his recliner, watching his granddaughter with amusement. Andre had gone shopping for the day, she figured he wouldn't be back until much later, since 'shopping' usually entailed going to one of the nearest bars and complaining about his life and marriage until drunk. When asked why she didn't simply divorce him, she could only answer that she was afraid.

She tainted everything and everyone she ever touched, pushed everyone away. If she pushed Andre away, then she would have no one else. No one to love her, no one to take care of her or protect her, and surely she'd wither and die. She had no support except that of her father, so there was no great desire to divorce Andre right now. If ever.

"When do you think Andre's coming home today, Dad?" It was hopeless asking him anything anymore, the man hardly spoke. Probably due to the fact that not only did he lose his eldest daughter, his wife, but he was technically 'losing' Tori to a drunk who couldn't get a steady grasp on life and shape himself up. With a heavy sigh, she sank onto the couch and gazed sadly as Katrina curled up on her lap. "I wish Trina would come home," she whispered, "But it's nothing but a dream."

"She wouldn't approve," David groaned. Tori lifted her head up in surprise, shocked that she got something out of him! He was looking at the door with empty eyes and slowly shaking his head. "Of Andre, your marriage, where you lived. You know your older sister wouldn't approve one bit of it."

"Do you…blame me, Dad? Do you resent me? Did I run her off? Did I run mom off?" David shifted his gaze to the right and his lips grew into a tight and flat line. "I run everyone off, don't I? Andre thinks that…Cat calls me a _pushover_, and Jade agrees! For crying out loud, everyone thinks I'm just some evil force that destroys my family…and those I love…"

She tenderly swept her hand through Katrina's hair, mourning over her life once more. It felt like a constant pity party with her, but how could she feel anything _but_ that pity? Honestly, there was nothing in her life that made her happy _except_ for her baby girl. "The one person you love more than anything, you're letting see her father, a man she should love and respect, come home drunk with anger…shouting at you every night for ruining both of your lives…and you're asking for what? I don't think you run people off, Tori, I think you don't know how to stand up for yourself. Trina…_Trina_ stood up for herself, she knew how, or at least she _tried_ to stand up for what was right. I don't know what she's doing now, but I'm sure, she'd be doing the right thing…"

"She always was the strong one, huh Dad?" Ever since she left, David constantly praised her and missed her, regretting ever letting her go. How was it Sinjin's words were truer than anyone else could possibly imagine? "She was your favorite…Daddy's princess…"

"I didn't _have_ favorites, Tori. I tried to love equally, but that didn't go well…" David tensed and let his eyes fall onto the curtains over the window. Tori followed his gaze, muttering about wanting out of this hell. How nice of a dream would it be if Trina could swoop down and save them? No, that was too unrealistic, now wasn't it? No. Rather, she'd rather be dead than have to deal with the realistic truth.

There was no hope. There never was any hope, it left when Trina left. How many times had she considered putting an end to her pain and suffering, only to be pulled out by her daughter's voice?

Through the curtains, she saw two shady figures moving towards the door. "Katrina honey, mama needs to go to the door." Katrina looked up with a gentle moan and moved over so Tori could get up. As she opened the door, she thought she heard a child saying something about being in trouble. When she had the door open all the way, she was immediately filled with concern, there were two children gazing up at her with wide eyes. She put her hand to her chest and looked back at David, who was eyeing the kids with great concerned. "Oh god, children…"

"Hey!" Katrina exclaimed happily. The girl jumped off the couch and ran over. "It's Megan and Joshua! From the beach, momma!" She raised an eyebrow and moved her hand over her mouth. Should she call the police? "Come inside!" Katrina took the two children by the hands and pulled them inside. Tori closed the door behind them and turned around, crossing her arms and leaning back against the door. She was speechless, searching for the right words to say.

When she looked at the eldest child, _Megan_, the girl looked vaguely familiar. She reminded her of Trina, which of course, was a painful reminder to her.

She bowed her head and sighed, there was no way she could leave them in this house when Andre got home. "Okay um…Katrina, did you know you were having guests? You know how your father feels about-"

"I didn't know they were coming! I didn't know they knew where we lived! Honest, momma." Katrina did the sign for crossing her heart. Megan and Joshua looked up at her, but Joshua looked anxious while Megan had a determined yet stern expression. The young girl's shimmering blue eyes gazed out from the brown hair framing her round, somewhat olive shaped face. Those eyes peered into her as though peering into her soul. She took the boy's hand, grasping it firmly as though protecting him. Immediately the boy stopped looking so nervous and started to move closer to the girl.

"My little brother, Joshua. Momma adopted him into the family, and already, I love my brother more than anything. I would never let _anything_ happen to him. I wouldn't let anyone hurt him. That's what it means to be a sibling, protect and stand up for them _no matter what."_

Tori raised an eyebrow and parted her lips, but was still unable to say a word. What did this little girl know? "E-Excuse me?"

"I'm ten years old, my brother is turning seven in June. My name is Megan Russell, and this is Joshua. Now I know momma probably wouldn't want us here, but I wanted to see you…" Tori's eyes flicked over to her father, who was leaning forward and staring with earnest at the two children. Her own heart was racing faster than the Nascar racetrack. Who was this girl? Why did she want to see her?

David rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes, "Now wait just a darn minute here." The girl froze and glanced back over her shoulder. David froze on the spot, his jaw fell to the floor and his muscles tensed. "I-It can't be…No…that's impossible…I know that's impossible."

"I recognize you from the pictures…" Megan slowly walked towards David and Joshua followed close behind. Katrina gazed up at Tori with a bewildered expression. "Momma has an album, she keeps it hidden away on the bookshelf in our library back home, but…I always find it and look through it. Wondering…how _different_ things would be. How _happy_ momma could be."

"Momma _is_ happy," Joshua added while tugging on his sister's shirt. Megan looked to him with a subtle frown, flashing a split second smile.

"Happier. She could be happier."

"Are you sure these are them? Aunt Tori and Grandpa?" Tori gasped, moving her hand up to the bottom of her neck. Her eyes widened and her heart sank. These were _Trina's _children? Here? In LA? She looked to the window and reached over, moving the curtains back. There was no car outside, so where _was _their mother? Trina was here? Home?

Tears welled up in her eyes as she turned her gaze back to Megan, finally seeing what was so familiar about the girl. Aside from the blue eyes, she looked almost exactly like Trina did from her childhood. "Y-Your mother is T-Trina? Trina Vega?" Megan snapped her head towards her, her hair flying through the air over her shoulders.

"Russell," David remarked softly, "Trina Russell. As in that top investigator in Vegas…DB Russell."

"That's our grandpa!" Joshua exclaimed joyously. "He's a great granddad."

"We're not going to talk about Mom, Josh." Tori whimpered as Megan slowly removed a sheet of paper from her pocket. It was folded into a tiny square, Megan held it neatly between two fingers. "Aunt Tori, this is a poem I wrote…before momma brought Joshua into the family."

_Aunt?_ Her knees grew weak and hope began to flow into her body. She wanted to embrace Megan, to scream, to cry, to hold her and plead with the girl to see her mother. She couldn't believe she had a _niece! _A _nephew!_ Megan placed the sheet of paper in her hand and stepped back. Thinking fast, she unfolded the paper and quickly read the words.

With a teary gasp, she brought her hand to her mouth and clenched her eyes shut. Trina had been hurt by her, obviously she already knew that, but she didn't know it was that long lasting. She stumbled over to the couch, falling back and lowering the paper in her lap.

"I have…so many questions…"

Katrina took a step back, eyeing the two siblings with a bright eyed smile, "I have cousins?"

"Y-Yes Katrina, but…" A sudden streak of concern shot through her and she put her hand to her forehead, realizing that Trina likely knew nothing of where her children were! "Oh god. Megan, J-Josh, where _is_ your mother? Does she know where you are?"

"No." Megan tapped the tips of her index fingers together and Tori's jaw fell open. David groaned as the girl closed her eyes. "I can't tell you either because Momma, well, she wouldn't _want_ us to be here and she doesn't want to see you right now."

"B-But it's been twenty years! I don't even…I didn't even know she _married!"_

"I know Aunt Tori, but you did something really bad that hurt her. I don't know what happened." She remembered what Cat had tried to tell her on the beach, but Jade shut her up. Had she been about to say something about Trina, or was that just paranoia talking? "I wanted to know…why. Why did you hurt her? Why did you forget her?" Megan looked over to David and pointed, "Why did you and Grandma neglect her? She was _so afraid_ to have another child, because momma was scared that _I_ wouldn't treat a sibling right…but I would _never_ treat Joshua the way you did, Aunt Tori. At least…from what I _do_ know, I would never, _ever_ let my friends say _anything_ bad about him, no matter _what_."

She felt the pull of guilt rush into her heart as she fought back a sob. Her body trembled as she imagined Trina walking away from her. Only now, she knew from what it seemed like, Trina had a family and a career. "I-Is there any place…any place left…for me in her life, Megan? Is…Is she…"

"She's working a murder case here in LA with Grandpa, it's an older case that has to do with the serial killer they're after." Tori's eyes shot open and her heart once more split open. Jade's mother, her mother's case was being reinvestigated. Was she a victim of that serial killer? "Momma's going to be the lead investigator at her crime lab." David's eyes beamed with pride and Tori started to smile through his tears.

"Would-Would you…I suppose you can't…but I wish I could tell Trina, she has two very beautiful children."

"Thank you Aunt Tori."

"Megan, is it?" David cleared his throat and Megan turned to him. He motioned for her and she moved closer to him. He lifted her up into his lap and smiled into her eyes with his own misty gaze. "Now, I know your mother was hurt when she left, but please understand…we loved your mom very much. I know it seemed like that wasn't the case, but we did. I-I wanted everything for her to grow up with a great life. She was my first child, precious and so full of life, full of fire, just like you."

"I want to be like my mom when I grow up."

"I bet you will, she seems like she's doing a great job with you and your brother." Megan nodded and wiped away some tears of her own with the back of her hand.

"She's doing the best she can, and she'll be able to be around even more when she gets promoted."

"Megan, how did you and your brother get here?"

"Daddy fell asleep and he's a long sleeper, so Joshua and I walked." Tori gasped softly and David furrowed his brow. How far did they walk? Two children in the streets of LA? It was far too dangerous! "We have to walk back home, but since Momma doesn't feel like seeing you guys right now, we can't let you know where we are…We're not far though! Right down the street!"

"It's so dangerous!" Tori exclaimed.

"I know…" Megan chuckled nervously and brushed her hair back, "Momma would say the same. She'd probably go insane if she knew what Josh and I just did. She's always been protective of me, and I know she's going to be protective of Joshua too…"

"Well I for one am not letting you go back to wherever you came from _alone!"_

"But you can't, you can't see Momma. She won't be happy. I don't know what happened between you two…and I don't know if it's fixable, Aunt Tori, but it's been a really long time…I know my momma more than anything, and I _know_ she's not going to instantly forgive you and be happy right off the bat. If Momma saw you, she would freak out, she's really been stressed out since we arrived here."

"I would _never _do anything to hurt her, I love her. She's my sister, I've always loved her, I've always _needed_ her."

"Well…Momma needed you too, Aunt Tori. You weren't there for her, and so she didn't think you needed her. I overheard her talking to Daddy, and your friends did something to her. I don't know what it was, but they did something to her that hurt her, all of them. Even…even Uncle Andre…"

Joshua sprang to life and moved over to his sister, glancing at Tori nervously, "Um Uncle Andre…is he-Katrina said he was a mean guy?"

"A drunk, Joshua."

"A drunk. Is that true?" Once more, Megan surprised Tori. She shook off the shock and closed his eyes

"Andre has…been a problem since his grandma died. He does drink…" She raised an eyebrow at the children, only Megan seemed to be understanding. This, of course, was completely surprising to her. "Megan, how do you understand this?" Megan took a deep breath and lifted her shoulders.

"Sometimes Momma lets me look over cases with her, because I want to grow up and be a police officer like her."

David laughed for the first time in ages, Tori whimpered at the sound and slowly looked over. It was a bittersweet emotion, seeing and hearing him laugh. That she couldn't make him laugh in nearly twenty years, but the instant he saw his grandchildren, Trina's children, he was happy? She understood _why_ he'd be happy, but it still _hurt_. A hurt, she was sure she more than earned. "You _are_ just like your mother," David complimented. "When she was your age, she would want to look at my cases all the time. I couldn't show her _everything_, but I showed her what was allowed and what I could. Obviously, not the evidence…"

"Really? Momma does that too! But yeah, she won't show me anything more than the shallow stuff. Also, to add, I like to write. I love poetry, writing stories, so I do a lot of online research and looking for definitions and stuff…I can read at a tenth grade level!"

"Wow! I am so proud…What a great aspiration that is too. Did you know, my dad and grandfather before me were police officers?"

"Really?" Megan's eyes widened and David closed his eyes, grinning with a gleam that Tori had almost forgotten was ever there. She couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of envy, but it was overwhelmed by pride. She was ecstatic to see Trina's children faring so well, but she wanted so desperately to be a part of their lives.

"Yep! You come from a long line of police officers, constables, private detectives. In _fact!_ I'll have you know your ancestor Sir Francis Alejandro the third was a royal guard for King Phillip the fifth of Spain in the 1700s?" Tori lifted her eyebrows in shock, she didn't realize _that!_ She knew their ancestors came over during the Spanish-American War, but that was it. "In fact, the reason our name changed is because Sir Francis only had three daughters, no sons. Moving onward, my great-great grandfather, Constable Jaime Vega took his wife and his one child at the time of the Spanish-American war in 1898, great granddad Manuél left to come to the United States. Jaime himself was later _one of_ the _first_ Spanish men to be on the President's secret service!" Megan was beginning to appear excited, and Tori was a bit excited to hear this too. She often wondered about her family, but never showed an interest or pursued it. That being said, she felt rather guilty about not knowing her heritage. It wouldn't have surprised her if Trina already knew it all.

"That is amazing, Grandpa David."

"My grandfather, worked with the FBI in the sixties after a long career in the police force. Then came my father, a former undersheriff for Los Angeles, when we moved here in the seventies. I had to carry my family's legacy. It's amazing to see your mother had the same goal and that you share the same goal."

"Thank you…I'm glad to hear that!"

"It is amazing," Tori added, "I'm stunned that I never knew all that history."

"Strange," replied her father, "I recall completely telling you and Trina one day while at the house. She was doing a project on heritage for a school assignment, her mom didn't have anything for her. You were there because you were interested, but then I think someone texted you, so you…were texting your friends, I think…" Tori frowned, slightly hurt, but shamed by this. She remembered now, it had been Cat texting her some random nonsense about finding something weird under her brother's bed. It led to a conversation that led to setting up a time to hang out.

"Dad, I'm so-"

"Don't worry about it, Tori. It's in the past." He smiled reassuringly, but it was no comfort to her. She could see the hurt flash by his eyes and cursed mentally. How could she be so _stupid?_

Megan looked back to Tori and furrowed her eyebrows. "Is Uncle Andre abusive?" With a a heavy sigh, Tori closed her eyes, not wanting to answer that question. She didn't want to have to tell her newfound niece and nephew that their uncle was a drunkard.

"Would it matter if I answered that, Megan?"

"I don't know…"

"This is the part where I say you're not old enough to understand, but I have my doubts now." She put her hand over her stomach and closed her eyes. She had butterflies inside and felt like she was floating on air, this was all a dream to her. It had to be. How could it be real that Trina's children were sitting in her living room? "W-When do you leave to go back to Las Vegas?"

"Whenever momma finishes the case."

"Is there-is there any chance of me seeing her? Making contact?"

"I don't know, Aunt Tori. I…I did this with Joshua because I wanted to meet you, I wanted him to meet you, and I wasn't sure if we'd ever get the chance again." Megan's reply broke her heart, and David was clearly hurt as well. "I think Daddy and Grandpa Russell are going to try and talk to her about maybe seeing you, but it's been a _really_ long time, and Momma always says she put that past behind her."

"Well…Maybe I can hope?"

"Maybe." Megan hopped off and moved over to her, throwing her arms around her in a hug. Joshua did the same. This caught Tori by surprise, and made her tears spring out once again. She hugged the two children, weeping over them and praying inwardly that this was truly a sign of hope.

"I don't know if it matters," David said in a quiet voice, "But Tori's mixing with those people again. Jade, Cat, Beck…" Megan looked over with a frown and slowly shook her head. "I'm guessing your momma wouldn't be thrilled to hear that? Tori and I were just talking about that…"

"No, Momma wouldn't be happy. She doesn't even know Aunt Tori married Uncle Andre."

"I think," Joshua's voice filled the room and pulled everyone's attention to him, "I think there's a chance Momma will talk to you Aunt Tori. There has to be some hope because you _are _her sister. Momma loves you, she's just…like Megan said, she's hurting and it's hard for her. Don't be sad, Aunt Tori, I think everything will be okay." Tori's heart swelled and she rubbed the boy's hair, smiling down at his reassuring gaze.

After some time of talking, it was time for the children to go back. They didn't reveal anything in depth about their mom's life, and it was probably for the best, Tori didn't believe she deserved to know. She did inform the children that the mistakes she made were some of the worst decisions of her life, and she wished that she'd stuck up for Trina more. Not that it would make a damn bit of difference.

It's easy to say 'I'm sorry', but harder to carry it out and mean it. If Trina _ever_ gave her a chance, she'd have to show her sister that she did care.

The children didn't want her following them, but she did anyway and kept it stealthy. She didn't trust the streets of LA enough to let those two walk back without running the risk of danger.

When they arrived at the hotel, she parked at the curb across the street and gazed with a heavy sorrow. David sat in the passenger seat, tears in his eyes. "I won't break a promise to a child," Tori said in a soft voice. "I won't seek out Trina. It's going to kill me, but I won't do it…"

She felt her father's hand on her shoulder and met his eyes with hers. Her body trembled as a whimper fell from her lips. David pulled her into a hug, gently patting her back. "It'll be okay Tori. I feel it…I don't know when, I don't know how, but I'm sure things will be okay."

"Dad, I'm really sorry, I am, that I didn't…listen to your heritage talk back then…"

"It was over twenty years ago, Tori. It's fine. Obviously you weren't that concerned at the time, it's not your fault."

"I know, but-"

"It's fine, Tori. Let's get home before that quack of a husband of yours does." She frowned, her eyes dipping down momentarily as her voice lowered to a whisper.

"Yeah…let's do that…" At least, there was a slight hope that maybe, just _maybe_, Megan and Joshua could talk their mother into seeing her family. If anything, it would be the greatest thing to talk to Trina again after all these years.

She was willing to do _anything_ to show her sister that she still loved her and always had. She just had to show an interest, and she was beginning to see just how much her interest in family had waned after Hollywood Arts.

"Really Dad? Royal guard to a Spanish Monarch?"

"Yep, and actually ancestors before that were police or guards for prior monarchies. We really go a long way, if you ever were interested."

"I think I might be…"

* * *

Seems like David enjoyed seeing grandchildren, and with Tori knowing Trina's in LA, she can at least hope to see her sister even though she figures it won't happen. What do you think of this chapter and everyone's reactions to everything?


	21. Champion of the Vega Family

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 21 (Champion of the Vega Family)

Trina and DB were hurrying back to the hotel, as they got an urgent call from Charlie saying the kids had gotten out. They went back to the hotel, so they were safe, which allowed them to finish off the last half hour of their work before they could leave. When prompted, Charlie said he fell asleep and woke up to find the kids gone, he was freaking out and running through every single hallway in the hotel looking for them. Eventually he went back to the room to find Megan and Joshua waiting on the bed for him.

Which of course meant they took one of the three card keys they had, a card key per adult member of the family. DB and Trina only took one whenever they had to get to the crime lab. "When I get to the hotel, those kids are going to be in so much trouble!" She spent the last half hour of work anxious and scared out of her mind, so when the work day ended, she bolted out those doors.

"Just relax, Charlie said they are safe." She knew they were safe, but that didn't make her feel any less frightened for them. She had to _see_ them first. Her heart was racing and the adrenaline was rushing through her body. Her fingers gripped the steering wheel firmly and she pushed down on the accelerator just as a streetlight was turning yellow.

"I'm a mother, I'm going to worry until I see my kids!" She parked her car in the hotel parking lot upon arrival and rushed from the car, DB actually had to walk faster to keep up with her. She heard him say something about being an old man, so she slowed down just a whisker.

"That's not much help, Trina!" She knew he'd been gravely worried about the children too, but the difference here was he knew they were safe so his anxiety wasn't as high. It didn't help that she'd never been one to be _calm_ throughout anything in her life, she didn't have her father-in-law's patience. She had the patience of a Vega, and that wasn't much. Many, _many_ suspects she grilled saw that as true. Trina flipped her hair over her shoulder and quickly glanced back at him.

"Then walk faster."

"I'm _jogging._ Now what's your husband going to say when you give his father a heart attack?"

"Not going to happen." He chuckled as she stopped to hold the door open for him.

Once in the hotel room, she rushed to her two children who were on the edge of their bed and threw her arms around them, hugging them close, relieved to see they were actually okay. "Thank god you two are safe." Charlie was standing with his back against the wall and his arms crossed. Trina looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. "How long were you asleep, Charlie?"

"Probably about an hour. I dozed off. I didn't think the kids would run off."

"We got a time out," Megan muttered. "Daddy gave us the riot act and told us we should not run off like that. We're sorry, Momma. Also, don't be mad at Joshua, I dragged him along. He didn't think it was a good idea to go."

"It's okay baby, and he's _right! _You know better than that, Megan." Trina stepped back and folded her arms over her chest, contemplating what punishment she could give them. She didn't want to send them or Charlie back home. Plus, the only people back home would be their grandma and Aunt Maya, both of whom would spoil them to death anyway. Not to mention, Maya's second child, Michael, who was off doing whatever he felt like in the world. The kid literally turned eighteen and decided to 'trot the globe'. "We will talk punishment and consequences when we get home, but until further notice, you are _not_ to leave this hotel room _without_ either me, your father, or your grandfather. Do you understand?"

"Yes momma."

She knelt down and reached up, brushing her daughter's hair back and looking into her eyes, "I don't want to lose you two. My greatest fear is something happening to you and your brother. If something were to happen, I would be devastated."

"We didn't go far. Just down the street-"

"Into a bad neighborhood," Charlie stated. Trina flinched, almost ready to ask how bad of a neighborhood it was. Then she remembered, this was LA, _every_ neighborhood was a 'bad' one. That being said, if someone claimed a neighborhood was bad, then it was worse than the norm. Crime rates weren't getting any better. She closed her eyes and breathed out slowly.

"What…could be so important…that you would worry your parents like that and go wondering off into a strange neighborhood in a town you've never lived in before? Megan, do you _know_ how dangerous LA is? You could have been abducted the minute you stepped out of the hotel doors! That's how bad it is. I know you love to explore, but Megan…it isn't _safe_ here."

Megan wrapped her arms around her legs and pulled her knees to her chest. Joshua looked over at her with a frown. "Hey Mom?" The young girl tapped her foot on the bed and started to smile. "Did our ancestors really come from a long line of police and knights?" Trina raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth, but she was too speechless to think of a response. How would Megan even know that? "Ancestor Francis Alejandro was a guard for King Phillip the fifth? Spain? Is that true?"

"Um…yes sweetie, that is true…" She remembered hearing about her heritage from her father, it was for a school assignment. Their teacher asked what they aspired to be and somehow the project got turned into a heritage assignment. Trina already knew her dad, grandpa, and great grandfather had worked in the criminal justice system, and that's why she wanted to be a cop as well. When she asked her dad, he pulled both her and Tori into the room to talk about their ancestry. She found it so fascinating that she actually wrote down everything he said and researched it all.

"Could you tell me and Josh more about our ancestors, please?"

"I don't know if they're my ancestors," Josh said while bowing his head. Trina gasped and sat in between the two children, putting her arms around their shoulders.

"Of course they are, Joshua." He looked up to her with arched eyebrows. She ran her fingers through his short hair and gave him a pleasant smile. "As long as you're a part of this family, they're your ancestors too. Now…let's see what I can remember…"

Interested as well, Charlie and DB moved to the edge of the middle bed. Trina pushed herself back against the headboard, her two children climbed up to her sides and curled beneath her arms. Humming lightly, she recalled all the heritage info her father had told her, and the research on her ancestry she'd done throughout the last twenty years.

"Francis Alejandro was indeed a guard for King Phillip V, who ruled Spain from 1700 to 1724. But our ancestry tree goes far beyond him. The earliest ancestor I ever researched that started out as a _knight_ dates back to the late 1400s and early 1500s, before Spain was actually _formed_. One of the countries, Aragon, had a Queen, Isabela, Queen of Castile who married Ferdinand the Catholic. They hired a pauper off the streets-"

"Pauper? You mean like a poor person?"

"Yes. Miguel Alejandro, born in Aragon around 1480. Queen Isabela and King Ferdinand needed a guard for some trip they were making outside of the country. As story goes, they had a wager going on that Isabela couldn't choose any random person and make them into a lasting guard. As such, she chose the _scrawniest_, the _poorest_, _penniless _beggar that she found. She spent much time training him to fight, to serve and protect, and he became their chief guard on this trip outside the country. He proved very loyal, and lasted throughout the trip, which was said to be five months in length. He saved their lives countless times!"

"Really?" Megan's eyes were wide and full of delight and admiration, Joshua had a look of awe on his face. Trina was happy to see how interested they were in their ancestry. This was how her family got their start! "Grand Ancestor Miguel Alejandro…Knight for the King and Queen! But when was it Spain?"

"Not until their grandson, King Charles the V. He would conquer many lands and unite a new world, _Spain_. He united Castile, Aragon, and León, ruling all three at the same time. Miguel's son and grandson had been brought up as knights, having been promised a place in the kingdom by Isabela and Ferdinand. And so it would remain all the way from the first King of Spain, Charles, to King Phillip the V, that our ancestors would be a part of the royal guards."

"So what happened?"

"Well, the idea was that all male children would be members of the guard or the knighthood. Francis Alejandro didn't _have_ a male child." Megan gasped and cupped her hand over her mouth while Joshua's jaw fell towards the ground. Teresa, Leta, and Chiquita Alejandro…we are descended from _Leta_. Chiquita, if I remember correctly passed away in early childhood. Teresa…faded away into obscurity, Dad says no one really ever knew what happened to her."

"Oh…"

"Well, as it turns out, King Phillip the fifth let his son take over, until death in 1724, and he had to retake the throne after that." She thought Leta had been known to guard the wife of King Phillip. "I believe our ancestor, Leta, was hired by his spouse to guard her, and when Leta married our ancestor, Javier Vega, King Phillip was more than happy to bring him up as a guard."

"Wow…so how long did we work for the royalty after that?" Megan and Joshua were sitting upright now. Trina had all but forgotten that they ran off without supervision, but she was too into the heritage to worry about it. Of course, that wasn't going to last long. She had a sinking suspicion about _where _and _how_ Megan had been informed about this history. She didn't like it, it made her angry, and she was _not _going to take this lightly. "Did we always work with them?"

"In 1808, I remember this exactly, Napoleon Bonaparte had a grave mistrust of King Ferdinand, a different Ferdinand obviously than the one I mentioned before. He took that King as well as his father, and thrust them off the throne, putting his son, Joseph Bonaparte as the next King of Spain. In doing this, our ancestor, Julian and Sara, and their son Enrique and his wife, Isabel Vega died protecting the castle from the soldiers stationed in Spain. Their children, our ancestors, were once again thrust out of the castle. The eldest son, Damien became a soldier in the years to come, his children followed, and their children did the same. I believe in King Ferdinand rescinded to the throne in 1813, but Spain became a republic some time later."

"So…no more guards? No more knights?"

"Nope, but even better, they still sought to serve and protect. Our ancestor, Jaime Vega, about the time of the Spanish-American war in 1898, didn't see things as going well in Spain. He took his family, and they came to America, where he got a job as a constable. Ever since then, our ancestors have been police officers, detectives, lawmen of all trades." She puffed her chest out proudly and winked at her children, "And your own mama is a crime scene investigator. Of course, as you know, your grandfather on my side was a police officer."

"Wow! I never knew things were so great!" Megan hugged her tight and Trina started to smirk.

"Don't think I've forgotten about you running off, young lady." Megan sank down and Joshua groaned. "Now the only way you would have even _thought_ to ask about your ancestor is if my own _father_ told you…" DB and Charlie lifted their eyebrows and Megan winced, caught red handed. "Do you have something to tell me, Megan?" Megan bowed her head and her shoulders dropped down. Trina exhaled slowly, she wouldn't be as angry if Megan told her the truth. "Did you go seeking out your grandfather somehow?"

"We looked at a hotel phone book…we found Aunt Tori and Uncle Andre listed…they actually live down the street."

She paused, her heart stopping dead in its tracks. "What?"

"Their house is literally down this road." Megan pointed out the window and looked up into her eyes. "Just a ways down, not very far, but it _is_ through a bad neighborhood." She couldn't believe what she was hearing, her _sister__lived down the road._ She didn't want to hear, she didn't want to believe that she'd chosen a hotel so close to her family. "Aunt Tori and Grandpa Vega live there with Uncle Andre and cousin Katrina."

"Katrina? The girl you met at the beach?"

"Yes momma." She clenched her eyes shut and put her hand to her forehead, groaning as she absorbed the information. Not only had Tori been on the beach that same day, but she married _Andre Harris?_

_"You've got to be fucking kidding me. She really is still tied to them? Shit."_

"Granddad Vega said Aunt Tori was mixing again with Cat, Jade, and Beck…" Her eyes flew skyward and she sank back against the pillows and headboard. Those names were like poison to her. She couldn't _believe_ her sister was _still_ with them! She remembered what her kids had said about Katrina's father and lifted her hand over her mouth, realizing that this father was Andre. So not only was Tori mixing with three of the worst people Trina ever had the humiliation of meeting, but she was in a marriage with an angry drunk.

"Great…" Her heart went out to Tori, but she still didn't want to get involved with the girl. Not now, not ever. "I don't want you getting too close, okay? I don't trust them one minute…especially not if Andre is an alcoholic."

"But-"

"You heard me, Megan." Megan sighed and Joshua shrugged his shoulders. She could see the disappointment in their eyes and looked up to her husband and father-in-law. They didn't seem all that thrilled with the idea either. Perhaps it was best to capitulate, _she_ didn't have to see Tori ever again if she didn't want to. She didn't have to face up with her past, but that didn't mean her daughter couldn't, did it? She closed her eyes and let out a defeated sigh. She was willing to go against her better judgment, why, she didn't know. "Okay. I don't know how long we're going to be stuck here in LA, so until we go to Vegas…" Trina lifted one finger and her kids looked up at her. "One hour. I'll give you one hour on whatever day you decide that you want to see your aunt. You can see your aunt and your grandfather on three different days of the week, no more than that, for one hour on each of those days."

"Really Momma?"

"Yes. _However_, your dad has to be with you." She opened her eyes and put her hands to the top of Megan's arms, gazing with a slight smile in her daughter's happy gaze. "Does that sound fair?"

"Yes!"

"Okay. I'm going to place another rule, I don't want you talking too much about me. Okay? They don't need to know everything about what I've been up to."

"Okay Momma."

Trina looked over to Charlie and pressed her lips together. He gave her a smile and she closed her eyes, breathing out softly. "Charlie, you all right with this? Also, if you see Andre there, or if he ever comes home, I want you to take the children and _leave_. They are _not_ to see their uncle under _any_ circumstances." Megan and Joshua frowned and Charlie nodded, it was only fair. She was thinking most of their health and best interests, she didn't want Andre drunk in their presence to where he might become aggressive and hurt them. "Megan, Joshua, if your father tells you it's time to go, you listen. Okay?"

"We will, Momma, promise."

"Good. I know I can count on you two."

She knew she wasn't doing this for Tori or her father, she was only doing this for her children. As for their uncle, well she had to make sure they would be safe and _remain_ safe. She didn't trust Andre for a lick, she never trusted him and certainly wasn't about to start. He may have always been the level headed one, or one of those level headed ones, but he was still one of the members of that group that did her wrong.

* * *

Well, what are your thoughts? They're not out of trouble for running off, but at least they'll be allowed to see their aunt and grandpa, under the right circumstances


	22. Interviewing Jade Oliver

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 22 (Interviewing Jade Oliver)

Trina was taking a major leap now, it was difficult enough stomaching the fact that she'd let her children see their Aunt, but now her job was mixing even further into her personal life. She was to question Jade West in regards to her mother. Not as a suspect, but to reaffirm her alibi and hopefully enlighten them on anyone else that might have wanted to do her mother harm. Since it was her case, she would have to do it.

Considering she wasn't a suspect at this point of time, there was no need to take her down to the station, so she and DB were at the Oliver mansion with Marshall. She felt DB's hand on her shoulder and looked over, unable to quit her incessant shaking. "Relax Trina, you'll do fine."

"It's going to take everything in my power not to either A: beat the crap out of Jade, or B: Freeze on the spot." Honestly, she didn't trust herself much at all for avoiding the she-devil. It definitely didn't help that Beck was here too, a double-kill indeed. If Cat were around, it'd be a triple threat. Marshall glanced inquisitively while DB waved him off.

"You'll be fine Trina, don't worry. You have both Marshall as well as myself, if you start to get to the point where you can't ask any more questions without getting upset, just signal and we'll go from there." It was great advice, but DB just didn't understand, this was _Jade_ she was talking about here, not some random run of the mill bereaved relative.

"This is the girl that hired four men to date me, humiliate me, and try to attack me. This is the girl that made every waking minute of contact with her miserable as hell. I'm _trying_ not to let my personal past affect my career, and I've _been_ trying, but DB…I'm nowhere near ready to face my past. I won't even go see my sister, that's how bad it is."

"I know Trina, I know." Trina shuddered as she listened to the door's lock unlatching. Her body began to heat up as she pushed her trembling hands into her pockets. Perhaps she should have faced this past rather than wait twenty years?

As the door opened, Beck's face appeared in the doorway. He lifted his eyebrows at the three officers and glanced between the three of them. Did he recognize her? Would he recognize her? Trina held her breath and closed her eyes, praying that the couple _wouldn't_ recognize her. "Trina? Trina Vega?" She cursed mentally and opened her eyes into narrow slants while lifting her hand to show her wedding ring.

"Russell. I'm married now."

"Wow. You got married, huh?"

"How am I supposed to take that?"

"I don't mean anything bad by it! I'm just…I'm happy for you, how have you been all these years? Does Tori know you're in town?" He opened the door fully and rubbed his chin. She cleared her throat and shrugged her shoulders.

"I haven't seen her. I'm also mother of two, but we're not here to discuss me, Mr. Oliver. We need to talk to your wife."

Beck's face fell and he closed his eyes, sighing out in exhaustion, as though his wife frequently ran into trouble with the cops. "What did Jade do?"

"Nothing…" She raised an eyebrow at him and folded her arms. "We're the ones investigating the case regarding her mother." His lips formed a circle and he quickly glanced to the officers. "Anyhow, this here is my partner and father-in-law, Detective Russell. The man to my left is LAPD Detective Marshall."

"I see, well come in. Jade's getting cleaned up in the bathroom, I'll go get her." The detectives entered and moved to the couch. Trina glared at the surrounding room with sharp eyes, she was rushing to get her gaze up. Two children came running in the room, a young boy and girl. Trina smiled at the two as they stopped and gawked at the officers.

"Is Momma in trouble?" The youngest asked, "Or are you here to see Dad about his gambling?" She raised an eyebrow, exchanging a look of suspicion with DB. She honestly didn't care if Beck was a gambler, or what the girl thought cops wanted with her mom. Though, on second thought, it would be interesting to see what prior convictions, if any, the two had. The girl put her hands behind her back and swayed from left to right, she had a chipper expression. "Daddy's a famous actor! Have you ever seen his shows?"

"No, I can't say I have." The child gasped and flew her hand to her mouth.

"You've never seen Daddy's work? You don't recognize him?"

"I recognize him, I just don't watch much television." It was true, she and Charlie had rules placed at home enabling all this. They didn't have a television in their room, and the kids were allowed two to three hours of television each day, whether consecutive or at different intervals. The living room television was for the family in general. She usually wanted Megan, and now Joshua, to play outside and exercise. As for herself, she actively avoided movies starring 'Beck Oliver'. "I'm sure he's a great actor though."

"The best! Did you know Mom throws awesome parties all the time? She does!" Trina chuckled, the child was adorable. It was amazing, Beck and Jade had great looking children, but should she be surprised? Not quite as cute and adorable as her children though. "Yep, and every summer we-"

A sudden feminine voice stung Trina's ears, startling her, "Lauren, Zach, off to your rooms for now okay?" She looked over to the woman in the doorway, her heart screeched to a halt and her muscles tensed. The two children scurried off and Jade's eyes locked with hers. The woman's pink lips twisted into a smirk and she started to walk forward, moving as though she were the highest of elitists. "So Trina Vega, or should I say-_Russell_. I'm surprised." Jade's eyes drifted to the diamond ring on her finger and the woman gasped, "That is a stunning rock. Tell me, how is your marriage?"

"Happy and flourishing." Jade's lips fell and a crease formed on her forehead. Was there something wrong with the woman's marriage to Beck? Well, if he was as much of a gambler as his children said, then she wouldn't be surprised if they had some issues. "Twelve years. How about you and Beck?"

"Got married in college, it's been eighteen now. Anyway, I'm guessing you're not here to reconnect."

"No." God no! Jade sat in the vanilla sofa chair in front of them and exhaled slowly, waiting for them to speak. Trina averted the woman's gaze as much as possible, because that was where the pain was. She saw Jade's fingernails were painted red, she had a small wedding ring, and wore dark purple clothing. Perhaps she was still gothic in nature? "We just want to ask you some questions regarding your mother…As you know we're reopening her case, we have new information on the case that leads not only to your father's innocence, but we believe he may have been framed. Do you know anyone that would have wanted to hurt your parents in any way?"

"Other than the millions of people they regularly pissed on? No. Mom was a vicious whore, a slut, and dad was a distant asshole." The woman's tone went from relaxed to terse within an instant, her eyes glazed over and shifted towards the wall to her right. "Twenty years ago…Why would you reopen all those old wounds, Vega?"

"That's Detective Russell to you." She felt DB nudge her, clearly she wasn't supposed to be so irritated with Jade right now, but she couldn't help herself. Jade deserved every bit of rudeness for the things she'd done. "I apologize for that snippy reply. Anyway, what's happening is we've been able to tie her to a trail of deaths left behind by a serial killer." Jade's eyes flicked back and widened, her hand moved to her chest and her lips parted briefly.

"Oh god…you can't be serious…"

"I'm afraid so." Jade clenched her eyes shut and clenched her fingers on her shirt. Her body began to tremble and her head shook rapidly. Something felt off, however, but Trina simply could not put her finger on it.

"Not mom. Isn't this enough? Isn't my dad enough?"

"Listen Jade, whoever killed your mom has killed again, and we _will_ find and stop this person. We're going to need information though. Do you remember what you were doing that day?" Jade lifted her head and slowly nodded, but her eyes moved to the folder in Marshall's hands.

"Doesn't it say in the files?"

"It does, but we need to be sure and reaffirm your alibi."

"I was watching TV with my best friend, what more do you want? Cat, Cat Valentine."

"Do you remember what show, by any chance?"

"It was…twenty…_years_ ago. No, I don't remember the show!" Trina hummed lightly and folded her arms over as Jade scratched her head. "Er, sorry about that, _you're_ the officer here…which I have to say, surprises the shit out of me. Where the hell have you _been_?"

"Vegas." Jade froze and her eyebrows flew upwards as her hand twitched for a split second. She lowered her hand and moved her hand to her chest.

"Really? Oh my god. Beck and I have been there once or twice, if we knew you were there-" Trina peered down at the folder, snatching it away from Marshall and glancing at the evidence files within.

"No offense but if you knew I was there, you wouldn't have come to visit, and I would have shoved you out the door if I saw you."

"Still sore about those years ago, aren't you?" Trina shifted her glare upwards and narrowed her eyes, she wasn't wanting to get into this. Not now, not ever. The emotions were rushing back to her and forcing the bile from her stomach, the memories were like a knife to the gut. There were _many_ things she wanted to say, to shout, to tell Jade to burn in hell. She had to be professional, though, and both DB and Marshall were here to see that. Plus, she didn't spend twenty years learning to control her own emotions only to have it all go up in smoke. "I would have thought you cared more for your sister than that."

"I did, you people were the ones that influenced her." She sought for a smooth recovery and pulled a photo of _El Salón Roja_, then leaned forward, handing it to Jade. "If you've been to Las Vegas, then surely Beck has been to this place before? Maybe you two have seen something that might help us solve the case." Jade studied the photo and slanted her eyes for a moment before shaking her head and handing the photo back.

"I'm sorry, I've never been there before. What's the significance?"

Trina put the picture back in the folder, clicking her tongue as she closed the folder over it. "We believe that is where our killer is picking up his victims. Your mother matches both the physical features and wounds that the victims have."

"I see. You know what, maybe if you can find Robbie, he might know. I wouldn't be surprised if he became a ventriloquist or something acting at places like Vegas." Her heart sank and she slowly shook her head.

"He did."

"Oh you've seen him? We've not seen him in damn near twenty years."

"He's deceased, Jade." The woman's jaw fell and her hands flew up to her mouth. "I just finished investigating his murder a couple weeks ago. But if that case shows anything, it's this: I _always_ get the culprit." Jade's eyebrows rose and she leaned forward, putting her hand to Trina's knee.

Jade's hand was like poison, crippling her with violent electricity the instant it made contact. Trina tensed and clenched her fists as her eyes met with Jade's. "I hope you find this killer, Trina. My mom needs justice, so do the other victims."

"Right." She brushed Jade's hand away. "I promise you the same I promised your father, we _will_ find the killer. Maybe other investigators before me failed, but _I_ won't fail."

"Yeah…I guess you finally found something you're better at than Tori, huh?"

"This isn't a competition with my sister. It never was. It is neither your place nor appropriate of you to talk like that about me _or_ my sister." Trina started to smirk and narrowed her eyes coldly, she felt victorious indeed for her statement. "Words I bet you've never heard in your life from either of us Vega girls, I bet."

"You hate me, don't you?"

"Hate?" Trina and the two men stood up, their work was done. They'd informed Jade of all she needed to be informed of, and they got the information they needed. Granted, it wasn't much. "Hate is an understatement. If you've been poisoning my sister all these years, though, I better not find out…" She took a pause, scraping her fingertips on her forehead with a heavy sigh. "I'm only here to work your mother's case, nothing more, nothing left. You have a good day, Mrs. Oliver."

She left the house with that, there was something cold to calling her Mrs. Oliver rather than Jade, but she felt it was a good touch to leave off on. Her stomach was twisting inside, destroying her. She felt DB's hand on her shoulder and glanced over with a sad smile. "You all right, Trina? You did good, kid." The hell she did, she _still_ wanted to explode. Though if that happened, it'd probably be more devastating than a nuclear bomb going off.

"I'm fine. Need the air. It's like ice in there."

"Tell me about it," Marshall muttered, "I needed night vision goggles to see through all that tension and animosity in the room. And I think I caught some of it, because now _I'm_ in a bad mood!" He shuddered and the others laughed. It made perfect sense to Trina, Jade just had that personality.

* * *

It was tense, I think Trina did decently for what it's worth, what are your thoughts on everything?


	23. Curbing the Guilt

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 23 (Curbing the Guilt)

She survived Jade, but now she had to survive Cat. They had to confirm Jade's alibi as well as letting Cat know about Robbie. She deserved to know, even though it sounded like she pushed him away. The father of her child was dead. She had yet to be contacted. "You know, what part of 'Jade was torture', didn't you two understand?"

"Got to do this job," Marshall replied. Trina groaned and slumped her shoulders, sighing in defeat.

"I _know_, but that doesn't mean I have to enjoy seeing people from my past." She glanced around the corner of the yellow house, peering at what was a rickety fence. She thought she saw several marijuana plants in between the cracks. Instinctively, she walked over to the fence and peered over it. Indeed there were several marijuana plants in the corner. A wrinkle formed between her brow as she scanned the yard, in the back was a wooden shed that almost seemed to be calling for her. She wasn't narcotics or anything of the sort, but she knew the laws of the state. She turned back around to see DB watching from the side of the house, his hands at his hips. Marshall walked around the corner and her eyes flicked over to him "Marshall, the state of California, it's still illegal to grow your own pot, isn't it?"

"I believe so."

"You may want to have narcotics come out here. There are marijuana plants and a suspicions shed in the back. Just out of the open for all to see." As an enforcer of the law, it was still her legal duty to report findings such as child abuse, domestic violence, drug use, and so on. These things were required by law Always the observer, she had a nose for this stuff. "Much as I don't want to assume Cat has been doing drugs…"

"She does have a teenage son, does she not? We'll leave that to narcotics."

"Right." They returned to the front porch and rang the doorbell. They heard someone inside, telling someone else to get the door. "Sounds like they're home."

The door opened and a man about eighteen stepped out, he smiled at the officers and extended his hand. "Lance Valentine, how are you today, officers?"

"Been better. I presume you are Catherine Valentine's son?"

"Yes ma'am." He withdrew his hand and motioned for them to come inside. When they did, they saw Cat sitting in a wooden chair, smoking a glass pipe and holding her nose. Trina's lips parted and the men shook their heads. "Medicinal…" Cat looked up with wide eyes and quickly lowered the pipe. Trina lifted her hand, chuckling nervously.

"Relax, we're not narcotics." She couldn't _believe_ she just walked in on Cat smoking weed. It was nauseating at best, and the smell disgusted her. She had to move to the opposite side of the room and open the windows, coughing as the smoke tried to penetrate her system. "The uh, the plants medicinal as well? You know, the marijuana plants that can be seen from the street?" Cat began coughing as Lance slowly glanced to the window. "Unfortunately since they can be seen, we do have to report those to narcotics."

"We got those from a friend," Cat rasped, "She told us we may as well plant them. Save on the doctor bills."

"Ms. Valentine, you do realize home-grown marijuana is still illegal in the state of California, right?" Cat's eyes widened for a split second, telling her that she obviously didn't know. Trina put her hands to her hips and sighed. She lifted her hand and swept her fingertips across her brow. "Why do you even _need_ medicinal marijuana in the first place?" That was more a personal question than a professional one, she honestly didn't get why Cat needed drugs. "You need to tell your 'friend' to cut the crap, clearly they've been lying to you. But that's not why we're here anyway…"

"Then what are you here for?" Didn't Cat even recognize her? Probably not, considering the woman was high. Of course, Cat was studying her, so it was probable she was trying to determine if they'd met. "I feel like I've seen you before. I need medicinal marijuana because of my depression."

"Depression, Cat?"

"Mom suffers from a lot of guilt in her lifetime," Lance said with a frown. He moved over to his mother and put his hand to her shoulder. Cat twitched and looked up at him, giggling briskly. Trina looked to Lance, shocked to be seeing for the first time how much like Robbie he looked. "She's seen a lot of bad things…"

"I see. Is she in any condition to talk? It doesn't appear so…" What bad things did Cat see? What was so bad that Cat needed drugs to curb her guilt? Pot, it was a drug used to 'forget'. She looked to the television in the room, it was muted. There was a news bulletin that was talking about the innocence of Henry West. Not much was known, because they didn't provide information to the press, but it was inevitable that they would find out Mr. West was wrongfully charged. After all, the press jumped on the fact that the former Police Chief's son had been arrested. "The news story doesn't have anything to do with that guilt, would it?"

"I'm not sure, I only just woke up a little bit ago and Mom was already smoking."

"V-Vega!" Cat cried out. Trina shifted her gaze over and Lance raised his eyebrow. "Tori." Cat pointed to her and gasped, "You're Tori's sister, Trina! Oh my god, you're alive!" Trina smiled at her and walked over, crouching down in front of her. She hung her hands between her knees and looked directly into Cat's bewildered gaze. Tears erupted from Cat's eyes as the pipe in her hand fell to the floor, cracking as it made contact. "Oh my god…does Tori know you're here? Does _Jade?_ Oh god, Jade!"

"Um, yeah they know I'm here. I haven't physically talked to Tori myself. I'm investigating a murder, Cat."

"You have a ring…" Cat grabbed her hand and gazed down in wonder at the ring on Trina's hand. Trina smiled cheerfully and nodded her head.

"Yes, I've been married for twelve years now. I have two very wonderful children and a great husband."

"You mean…you mean you've recovered?"

"Well." Trina bowed her head and chuckled absently, she wouldn't say she _recovered_. The whole mess of her past was still a major problem for her, but she didn't need Cat to know that. She didn't want to hurdle more guilt on this woman's shoulders, as it seemed that guilt made her do the drugs that she did. Clearly she was being manipulated by someone else as well, if she was getting plants from a friend and being told that it was okay. "Life is good now, Cat. I'm a detective in Las Vegas."

"Wow…so you've had a good life…I'm glad. You don't know how much I hurt over what we did. Even Andre and Robbie were affected! Andre! Andre started drinking, Trina! He's married to Tori and he drinks all the time, I think it's because he's guilty too…things haven't gone well for him."

"Alcohol _is _a drug, and like any drug, it messes with the mind."

"Oh, you want some?"

"Um, no Cat…"

"I have others that my friend gives me, it all helps me calm down." Trina clenched her eyes shut and growled, she didn't want to hear what other drugs Cat took. What had been so bad to make her feel so guilty she needed to take drugs? Surely what they did to her wasn't bad enough.

"Did you start this because of what happened to me, Cat?"

"A little, but there are other things." Cat picked up her pipe and examined the crack. Upon deciding there was no danger, she lit up a fresh amount of her marijuana. Trina groaned and pushed herself up, walking away as Cat put the pipe to her lips and sucked in.

"Who the hell told her she had to take drugs to relieve the guilt? Seriously? I knew she was naïve back in the day, but come on…" She had to remind herself that this wasn't a narcotics case, but it was extremely difficult to avoid it. "Okay, Lance, since it seems your mother is, um…" Trina looked over to Cat, the woman had lowered her pipe to the arm of her chair and tilted her head back, her eyes were shut and smoke was coming from her mouth. _"Dear god…"_ She put her hand to her forehead, rubbing her thumb and forefinger in small circles. "Indisposed at the moment, maybe we can ask you a few questions?" Lance nodded and folded his arms over.

"All right, what can I help you with?"

"I'm guessing you live with your mom…"

He frowned and glanced to his mother, "Yeah…someone has to take care of her. Cost me a few girlfriends and dates throughout my school years, but whatever."

"I imagine…Now Lance, do you happen to know who your birth father is?" A look of angst shot past his eyes and his arms lowered to his sides, this told her he knew of Robbie.

"Mom always said he was some weird prick that was always hitting on her. She said he took advantage of her when she was high.." Somehow Trina didn't believe that, Robbie wasn't the type, but it didn't matter. Though it was interesting knowing that Cat had been on drugs all the way back then as well, but it made sense, it was after she left. If she started after that, and did so to relieve guilt, then it might make a bit of sense. "What about him?"

"His name was Robert Shapiro, they knew each other in high school. He was a ventriloquist living in Texas with his wife and three children." Lance raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders.

"What do I care?"'

"Because officially, you are his next of kin aside from his family in Texas." The familiar terminology clearly hit him, as his eyes started to widen and his lips parted for air. "I'm afraid I have to inform you…he has passed."

"W-Why would you bother telling me about that?"

"Because your name came up on the national website for people looking for either their birth parents or their children." They had to check the registry, to see if it happened that his child would be looking around for him. Lo and behold, Lance Valentine was looking for a Robbie Shapiro a few months back. Lance moved to the couch next to his mother's chair and crouched upon it. He gazed down at the floor, his eyes betraying his sadness and shock. "I'm sorry…"

"I-What happened to him? I mean…"

"He was killed over a personal dispute." Lance ran his hand through his brown curls and narrowed his eyes, choking out a scoff.

"Go figure. Eighteen years not knowing a damn thing about him because Mom never talked about him, and he's killed. Great!" Maybe he wanted to find Robbie so that the man might help his mother, maybe he just wanted to know who he was, she didn't know. It was heartbreaking to see the hope flee from the man, his spirit clearly crushed by the news. "Mom says I look like him..."

"You do, you look almost exactly like him." Trina put her hand to Lance's shoulder and smiled reassuringly as he looked up at her. "All you need to know; Robbie was a good man. I'm sure if he were able to be around, he would have been."

"Thanks." Lance looked over to his mother, Cat was still passed out with a burning pipe in her hand. With a sigh, he took the pipe from her and dumped it in a nearby ashtray. "Do you still have to report mom to narcotics?"

"I'm afraid so." As much as she hated having to do it, it was a requirement. She pointed her thumb to Marshall and closed her eyes. "Moreover he does. My jurisdiction is still Las Vegas, but the serial killer case is _my _case to work. However we have to operate in Marshall's supervision. Since it's his jurisdiction, he's the one that needs to report it. You want to take care of your mother, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Then do her a favor and cut your mother's access with her 'friend', or as we call them…her dealer. If she seriously needs the marijuana, then let her get it the _legal_ way."

"Yeah. I mean she also-"

"No." Trina lifted her hand to stop him. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I don't need or want to hear any more. If she's taking anything else that I haven't seen, I don't want to know. Let narcotics handle it."

"Right. I'm sorry. Anyway…this case you're working…does it have to do with what's on the news?"

"Yes. We were hoping your mother could confirm an alibi, but we will have to come by another time when she is more…prepared to be questioned."

"She isn't a suspect is she?"

"No, she's more a witness than anything. But thank you for your time and understanding, Lance." With that, they took their leave. Trina hoped to not have to deal with Cat too much after this, but like Jade, she had a feeling she'd be seeing her again.

* * *

Well, we see the shape Cat is in, but maybe she can get some help. Well tell me your thoughts on the chapter my friends


	24. Jane Doe, and an Arrest

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 24 (Jane Doe and an Arrest)

As they drove back to the crime lab, Trina started thinking of the events of the day. It was hard as hell to imagine the things she had, with Cat doing drugs to come down from her guilty emotions. "They've all fallen quite a bit in twenty years." She looked to the rearview mirror, Marshall was in the back seat with his pen and pad, he was going over today's notes. DB was seated beside her, leaning against the door and scratching his hair. "I've never pictured that group the way they are now."

"Time changes people," DB replied, "Events change lives. Obviously a catastrophic event occurred that sent them all into a downward spiral." She hardly thought her leaving was what did that, but it was possible that the death of Jade's mom affected them all. After all, Jade was extremely bitter that day she left, and likely that bitterness affected the rest of the friends. "You sure you still don't want to talk to your sister?"

"DB, there isn't anything in the world that's going to make _me _talk to her." Of course, she learned she needed to knock on wood when it came to matters such as these. The last time she said something like that, well, the serial killer case initially led her to LA. "I'm willing to let my kids see her, willing to let my husband and even you meet her, but me? No. I mean nothing to her."

"Does she mean nothing to you? What about your niece?" The question came from Marshall this time, it struck her speechless. Her eyes flew to the rearview mirror where he was gazing curiously at her. Of course Tori meant something to her, Tori meant the world to her back when she still associated with her. She desperately wanted to see Katrina, though, but her fears and emotional turmoil made it hard as hell to act on that.

Trina stammered for a second and looked back to the road, "W-We're estranged, Marshall. She ran me off, and Dad never gave a shit, neither did mom. Who apparently ran off with that cop friend of hers, last I checked, so frankly I care but I don't care. If Tori meant nothing to me, I would have made sure Megan and Joshua didn't get a chance to see her again…but she deserves to see her niece and nephew, as Dad has every right to see his grandchildren. As for whether or not I'm going to seek them out? No, there's not enough motive for me to want to do that. I want to, I really want to see my niece, but it's just…I don't know…Too many emotions and things left unsaid. I'd rather not deal with it." DB glanced over at her and shook his head while Marshall shrugged his shoulders.

"Sometimes in life it becomes necessary to face your past. There's a reason your case has led you back to LA, there's a reason for everything." She scoffed. As if fate were telling her she had to see her sister. If that was the case, then perhaps fate could send her a sign? Of course, even if the sign came smacking her in the face, she probably would blow it off.

"Don't take this the wrong way Marshall, but back off. I have laid out my intentions."

"Right, but you never know if your sister needs you."

Trina huffed and narrowed her eyes, studying the road in front of her for an extremely long time. "She's never needed me in her life. At least, not when Hollywood Arts and those people came into her life. After that, I was nothing to her, and I will always remain nothing to her. Whether or not I care about her makes no difference whatsoever."

The two men looked at her, studying her, both had sorrowful expressions. Sure it was upsetting, it was sad to hear such things, but how far from the truth could it be? Or at least, that was the truth that she understood. Up ahead, she saw a car racing down the street, swerving back and forth in the lanes.

"What the…" Her heart started racing as the car was rushing towards her. She cursed and swerved to the right, screaming as the foreign car collided with hers on the driver's side. DB and Marshall yelled as the car spun out into the grass and marsh. Trina's head slammed onto the steering wheel and glass fell from the windows.

When the car stopped moving, she let out a grunt and lifted her head to the rearview mirror. A trickle of blood was running down the side of her head. She looked over to make sure the other two were okay. DB was awake and holding onto his leg, cursing as it had struck the door. In the back, Marshall was moaning and rubbing his head. "What the hell?" DB exclaimed.

Angrily, Trina shoved her door open and started making her way to the car that hit them. It had a crumpled hood and the driver's head was shaking on the steering wheel. She was in no mood to be involved in an accident. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she pounded on the door.

"Police! Get out of the car!" The man inside lifted his head and Trina instantly recognized him as Andre Harris. Her heart stopped and her chest ached. Andre gazed out at her with wide, bloodshot eyes. "Andre…"

Trina spotted a bottle of liquor in the passenger seat behind him, that was enough for her to figure he was drunk. She grabbed her handcuffs and pulled the door open, ignoring the searing pain her body was in. She reached in and grabbed his arm, then yanked him firmly out of the car. "What are you doing!" Andre exclaimed.

"Shut it!" She slammed him against the car and pulled his wrists behind his back, cuffing them. She could smell alcohol on his breath. _"Great, Megan was right, he is a drunkard."_ She tightened her grip on his wrists and put one hand to his shoulder. He squirmed, yelling out and declaring police brutality. "You've been drinking _and_ you just rammed a government issued patrol vehicle! How much have you had this evening, Andre?"

"Wha-oh no, I'm not hallucinating, it _is_ you!"

"I asked you how much you had to drink."

"I don't know! I honestly don't know!" Andre struggled in her hold as Marshall and DB stumbled over to the car. DB was on the phone with the police, informing them of the accident that just occurred. "I'm sorry!"

"Sorry is not helping your case." Trina leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. "I guess you know my children have been over? They told me you were a drunkard. I'll be watching you, Andre…you're drunk right now, aren't you?" Andre clenched his eyes shut and slammed his head against the top of the car, groaning in aggravation.

"I've never hit her! I've never hit your sister!" Oh this was amusing, he was scared of _her_? She started to smirk, fantasizing about all that she could do to him right now. She would be watching though, to make sure he didn't harm her sister or her children. Of course, there was more concern geared towards Megan and Joshua because they were the ones visiting their Aunt.

"Why do you drink so much, Andre? Tell me. Talk to me. Just between us two, what's the reason you rely on getting drunk? Which, by the way, you're going to be having a massive hangover in a jail cell tomorrow morning, hopefully you're aware of that."

Police sirens filled the air and Andre screamed out in anguish, the sound clearly destroying his eardrums. It was strange, they'd taken a back road where no cars traveled. So of all the cars, all the people, it was Andre they ran into. She looked back to the marsh nearby and narrowed her eyes. "Do you dive by here much?"

"Maybe."

"Does guilt drive you drink?"

"I won't do anything, I promise! I don't feel good, I think…" He moaned and Trina sharply turned him away from the car, bending him over as he vomited onto the ground. "She's cheating on me again, isn't she?" Trina raised an eyebrow as Andre wept. "She had an affair…a one night stand…I don't trust her any more than I trusted that crazy bat of a grandmother." His tone changed and his face began to turn angry. There it was, the paranoid anger that her children said that Katrina told them he displayed.

"What are you talking about now?"

"Our marriage is shit to her! It means nothing to her!" He wept again and began mumbling incoherently. One of the police officers took him and he began to stumble, so they instinctively gave him a breathalyzer. She wasn't surprised when his BAC came out to be .15. He was more than drunk.

"Yeah there's no way you're going home to her tonight." She looked to the officer, signaling to him, "Keep him locked up until he sleeps it off. Don't release him until he's clean." Marshall repeated her, stating this was his jurisdiction. The officer nodded and pushed Andre to the patrol car. Tori looked from Andre's car to theirs before scratching her head, "Jesus…this mess." This couldn't be the first time he'd been arrested, she didn't believe that for an instant.

Several police officers were walking around their patrol car, scanning the scene possibly to make sure nothing was too bad. One officer called out from closer to the marsh that was surrounded by trees and weeds. Trina made her way to the officer with DB and Marshall. Could this not wait until the paramedics checked them all out? She wanted to make sure Marshall and DB were okay, mostly DB because of his age, however.

"What's going on over here?"

"We have an issue," the female officer replied. "There are bones over here." She crouched down and looked into the weeds. True to word, amid the weeds and right beside tree root, sticking out of the dirt, was the skeleton of a human hand. It was nicely obscured by the weeds and the shrubs. So, was there a body buried here?

"Lovely…let's get a team out here just in case, but first things first…paramedics."

A couple hours later, Trina and her team were back at the crime lab. Their wounds had been checked over, and all there were clear for minor injuries and nothing more. They lucked out, having been struck by a drunk driver.

The body found buried was not identified, but came with a full skeleton. The coroner identified the body as female, and having buried for at least eighteen years. He was currently analyzing the skeleton in the office and she was reading through material on the computer.

Her suspicions had been confirmed, Andre Harris had been arrested before due to his drunkenness. She let out a soft hum and brought a bite of cheesecake to her lips while narrowing her eyes upon the report on the screen.

Andre Harris had at least three prior convictions. One for disorderly conduct at a bar, instigating a fight. Another was for assault and battery. Her eyebrows rose as the cheesecake hung before her lips. The report stated he'd struck his grandmother in bed, and in the statement to the police, he said he was sick of her obsession and paranoia. "He didn't…"

His third arrest, he'd been heavily intoxicated. He stood accused of locking his wife outside of the house. When she tried to get back inside, he shoved her off their front porch. She'd struck herself on the concrete sidewalk.

Trina's stomach churned as rage coursed violently in her body. With a growl, she shoved the cheesecake into her mouth and shut off the computer. The door behind her opened up and the coroner stepped in. "What is it?" She barked.

"We think the Jane Doe may be connected to the serial murders." Her heart crashed to a halt and she quickly spun around, instantly concerned. The man handed her the images and she began studying them with a fierce intensity. "She has a wedding ring that was clinging to the victim's teeth. There are scratch marks on the jaw bone indicative of a cutting tool used against her. Also, there are marks on the rib cage as well."

"It sounds like it, but how…the killer has not buried a single victim. Why would she bury this one?"

"May I suggest this was the one the killer felt remorse for?"

"Strange…"

* * *

Trina is furious, and she's got every right. I wonder who the Jane Doe is.


	25. Identity of the Jane Doe

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 25 (Identity of Jane Doe)

The next day, Trina was at the crime lab with Eric, the coroner. "What do we have?" The skeleton resting on the corner's examination table spoke volumes, albeit being a silent witness. She peered down at the bones and felt a sickening feeling in her gut. The skull's jaw was wide open, there were indeed cut marks on the edges of the jaw, indicative of someone cutting the cheeks. "Eric, you're saying it fits with the other victims?"

"Yes mostly due to this." In his gloved hand he held a vaguely familiar wedding ring. She narrowed her eyes on the ring, it was white gold with fourteen karat diamonds. The band was encrusted with diamonds. "It wasn't attached to the victim's finger, but rather located in the mouth, caught on one of the bones." She folded her arms and studied the skeleton. Indeed, the pelvis indicated female. "I've run an analysis on the age of the bone, I think we have a female nearing fifty at the time of death."

"Okay…buried near a marsh, hidden beneath weeds, shrubs and trees for eighteen years, our killer didn't want this one found for some reason." Guilt was a possible sign. Eric analyzed at least eighteen years, which would make this the killer's second victim. She firmly grasped the exam table and hummed as she gazed up and down the body. "Mrs. West was murdered in the heat of passion, the first victim. This victim, the second…the killer must have associated her with Mrs. West in some way?"

"Cheating?"

"It is possible the killer tried to mimic her first kill, but why hide this victim unless they were ashamed? She rubbed her chin, studying the ring. "We need to identify the victim. We'll look up missing persons listed in 2015."

"Already did it," Marshall said while walking in the room. He startled her, but she merely brushed it off and turned to see what he had. DB came following in after him. "In 2015, there were a total two hundred and ninety eight missing persons. One hundred and twenty of those female, and sixty three of them in between the ages of 45 and 50." That was still too wide of a margin for her. She grabbed the report and skimmed over the sixty three results.

"Analyze the sixty three women, check their faces and pull out the ones with brown hair. I don't know if we'll have on file who were married and which of the married ones may have ever had affairs." She caught at the bottom of the list, the name 'Vega'. Her heart stopped and the air in her lungs faded violently. "Wait a minute. Holly Vega…my mother?" DB raised an eyebrow and Marshall walked over, glancing down. "Can you run a search on her?"

"Can and will." She wanted to know who put a missing person's report out on her. Maybe it was her father, maybe it was Gary. Either way, her mother was one of those sixty three people. She took one last glimpse at the skeleton on the exam table, then walked out.

When she realized DB was following her, she stopped and met his concerned gaze, "Where are you headed?"

"The holding cell where Andre is." She'd informed him and Charlie about her findings regarding Andre. When asked not to pursue it, she said she wouldn't pursue him too much. DB gave her a skeptical look and she merely smiled at him. "I'm not going to hurt him. Too much."

"Trina…"

She turned around, groaning sharply, "Look, all I know is last night he said something about frequenting that particular road when drunk. We found a body buried there. If he knows something-"

"There's probably not much chance. Are you sure you're not just thinking about what happened?"

Her tone grew bitter and she quickly pushed open the door. "I'm sure." She was more than aware he wasn't letting her confront Andre without his presence, and frankly, she didn't care.

At the jail, she'd moved Andre into the questioning room and had him seated at the table with his wrists in cuffs. She strategically placed him where the sunlight was pouring in. He held his wrists up, trying to shield his face from the light. "How's that hangover of yours, Andre?"

"Man, this isn't cool."

"A lot of things aren't 'cool'. Assaulting your wife isn't cool." Andre gasped and lowered his wrists, blinking several times as the sunlight stabbed him.

"W-What is she saying?"

"Who Tori? Oh nothing, I merely pulled up your arrest records." She stood up and walked around behind him. She knew DB was watching from the observation window, and honestly, she didn't care. She stepped behind him and grabbed his hair, pulling back and causing him to let out a loud shout. She leaned down and narrowed her eyes angrily. "Just because I left LA behind, Andre, just because you and your friends ran me off, doesn't mean I didn't care about Tori." Andre whimpered and moved his hands to his head, yelping as she began twisting his hair. "She is still and always will be my little sister. Regardless of estrangement. So seeing you strike her…fills me with such _anger_ for you…I can be a lot scarier than Jade if I want to be."

"Please stop! I've never struck her!"

"No, but you've pushed her." She released his hair and smacked her hand onto a sheet of paper on the table. The slam echoed through the room and Andre flinched, yelping once more. "This is the criminal record. Statement is, and I quote, 'Tried to get inside after locked out by husband, suspect reportedly shoved her off the porch, resulting in wife crashing on the sidewalk and dislocating her shoulder.'." Andre looked at the paper and grimaced as Trina moved her finger to the picture on the page. "And look, a photo of Tori…this report was what, three years ago?"

The picture was of Tori holding her left shoulder, her hair a mess, and blood was coming from her left temple. The left shoulder had a bright purple bruise, and Tori was in tears. Trina snapped her fingers in front of Andre's face, making him twitch and fall backwards as he looked up into her eyes. A guilty, mournful expression flashed on his face.

"I-I didn't mean to, it was an accident. I was drunk…."

"Listen to me, _dreads_, I don't care if you were fucking asleep, that is _still_ my sister, and _I_ am a police officer!" She sneered at him, scrunching her nose up and growling at Andre's trembling body. "I always knew you and your friends were a bad bunch. I didn't say anything when Tori befriended you people, because she was making friends. Then you lot, and Tori included, decided to do what you did and insult me several times. I'm _not_ happy that you two-"

"We love each other!"

"Fuck that! A man who loves his wife doesn't do this to her!" She grabbed the paper and pushed it in front of Andre's face. She threw the page down, her chest heaving and nostrils flaring. "A man that loves someone wouldn't let another friend hire people to date the person's sister and try to assault her in a janitor's closet!" Andre's eyes widened and his jaw fell, she wasn't aware of what she was saying right now, she was completely blind with rage.

"T-That was all Jade's idea, Trina! We didn't even know-"

"That's right you didn't know. How often does Jade order you people around? That's what I want to know. Does she still have all of you in a headlock? A woman that powerful, her husband being a famous actor, it wouldn't surprise me." She leaned over the table, pressing her palms firmly on the surface and glaring ferociously at the man. "You'd better hope I don't find you all poisoning Tori. Because when I head back to Vegas, I have to decide whether or not my children are going to be in communication with her. If she's being tainted by you and those people, then I worry about whether or not she'll be a good role model for _my_ children."

"I got it, I got it, geez…"

"No. You don't got it, and I don't want to have to drill into your head. Do not touch my sister, and god forbid my kids be visiting her when you're around…do not even _look_ at my children. If you so much as make a move towards them, you will have to deal with a very angry police mother. Capiché?"

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Now…that being said, let's go onto the more serious stuff." She took her seat, sighing as all the aggression within her rolled off her chest. She had her say, and that was it, she didn't need to frighten him anymore. "A Jane Doe was found buried on the road that you claim to frequent often while drunk, would you happen to know about this?" Andre raised an eyebrow, but a suspicious glimmer appeared for a split second in his eyes. Trina rolled her head to the side and her fingers tapped on the table like a musical tone.

"So you found a body on a street I've frequented. I have nothing more to say, because I don't know a thing about it. But I do drive down that road a lot. I don't know why, I just do, have been for a couple decades now."

"Right…" She brushed her hair over her shoulders and narrowed her eyes. What would Andre have to do with this body? He couldn't be the killer, because he never had anything to do with Mrs. West. "Have you ever been to Las Vegas, Andre?"

"No, I'm not exactly made of that kind of money." Trina leaned towards the right and hooked her finger over her lips, studying Andre with a growing amount of suspicion and animosity. He glared back at her and heaved forth a heavy sigh. "We're not _all_ demons you know. Me, Beck, Jade, Cat, Robbie…not all of us are demons that are poisoning your little sister or running you out of town…"

"Oh I know not all of you are. However, you got one part wrong, you did manage to run me out of town. Each and every one of you."

"Look Trina, I'm sorry you got hurt. Sinjin chewed us all out about that. But come on, Robbie, Cat and Beck didn't even want a part of it. They thought the first guy Jade convinced was enough. Then she wanted to get a second guy, a third guy, and the fourth was just…all of us were done with it by then." Trina narrowed her eyes, fighting back the flashback of her time in that closet with that man pushing her around. "I'm sorry you were hurt…"

She blamed her little sister for being a part of that ring. All these years, she accused Tori of knowing about it. "Did Tori know, Andre? Did she know what you guys were doing? Did she know why it was her sister vanished?" Andre started to speak when the doors opened up and Marshall came walking in.

"Trina we're done with those results you asked for." Trina looked back and furrowed her brow. Now she was interested. "We've run background checks and so on. Holly Vega is one of five women that match the descriptions of the other victims. Her heart began to sink. She quickly rose to her feet, glaring at the page in Marshall's hands. She prayed her mother wasn't the Jane Doe on that table. "We're running the dental records of the missing women to the dental work of our Jane Doe. But as it would turn out, Holly Vega was reported missing by the officer she was living with in late June of 2015, he later committed suicide in September of that year."

"No…" A summertime death, no doubt. She rushed past Marshall, forgetting Andre for the time being, and charged for the coroner's office. Her heart was racing and her body heating up. That familiar ring was clear in her mind, she remembered her mother's wedding ring as being very similar to that.

She heard Marshall and DB calling after her, but she wouldn't stop. "Mom cheated on dad with that officer. She matches the description of the remaining victims, _and_ went missing in the summertime as most others…" She burst into Eric's office, demanding to see the ring. He held it up and she took it in a gloved hand, gazing with fearful eyes. "I need to check the inscription. Dad made an inscription on her ring when he first got it for her…"

Word for word as she remembered, she read the inscription with a heavy heart. _I will always love you, my beautiful bride. –DV. _ Her fears confirmed, she dropped the ring onto the table and leaned over it, grasping the edges firmly as her stomach flipped. She didn't need dental records to tell her what she already knew.

"T-This is…my mother…"

* * *

Andre got a mouthful that's for sure. Looks like the Jane Doe's been identified, and the case for Trina is just getting better and better. Well, let me know your thoughts


	26. Emotions Sealed Away

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N: Yes you get an early morning update, only because I'm up this early.

* * *

Chapter 26 (Emotions Sealed Away)

"This is me trying not to freak out," Trina said while pacing the hotel floor. She was outside the door with Charlie and DB, they'd stepped out for a second to talk. The children were asleep inside and she didn't want to disturb them with news of her mother's death. She stopped and pointed to the side. "My _mother_ was murdered by the killer I'm pursuing! Someone has to notify next of kin! There is no way in hell this is happening. _No way!"_

Her body was trembling, her chest was aching and every single muscle in her body was screaming in sheer agony. Trina was beginning to hyperventilate, this was too much for her heart. Solving Robbie's case had been too much, then having to deal with Jade's mother being the first victim? That didn't make matters any better. "When I said 'it couldn't get much worse', that wasn't a sign for it to get worse!'' She knew what her mother's murder meant, it meant having to investigate, which also meant having to question her own father in order to clear his name.

"You still have to do it," DB said, "Unfortunately. Besides…you have to face your sister eventually." She scoffed, perfectly content with letting her traumas and emotions take hold. As painful as a deal that was, she_ still _was worried how Tori would react to her. "Would you rather notify your sister about her mother's death, or would you rather someone treat it as a routine next-of-kin notification."

"DB, it's been twenty years, what warmth do you honestly think is going to be there?" She still had compassion for Tori, but honestly, she didn't _trust_ her. Not when she was married to Andre and mixing with Jade, Cat, and Beck. "I'm about ten minutes from hopping on a plane back to Vegas. Don't say I wouldn't do that, either." DB raised an eyebrow and Charlie shook his head. She wasn't likely to do that, she didn't believe in quitting while she was ahead, and she really needed to finish this case one way or another.

"You wouldn't do that," Charlie smirked, "I know you too well." She slanted her eyes at him and crossed her arms. He stepped up beside her and put his arms around her, a mild comfort for her while all her nerves were severely shot as it was. "It's okay, Trina…"

"It's not okay." He was in front of her, so she bowed her head to rest her forehead on his chest just beneath his chin. Tears welled up in her eyes as her shoulders rose and fell with her rapid breaths. "It isn't okay!" He held her close, rubbing her back and gently kissing the top of her head. "Why would you say it's okay? Why would anyone say it's okay? I'm working a case that's forcing me to make all these connections I spent so long trying to _avoid_."

"I know, Trina. I know. Maybe that's the reason, maybe you were led back here for that reason. Besides, no one said you had to get personal, just go to your sister and do your job."

She lifted her head and gazed into his eyes, "Is it that simple?"

"What choice do you have? Besides, something tells me Dad would be more than willing to introduce himself as your father-in-law if you didn't go." She chuckled through her tears and wiped her eyes. Her arms drifted around his waist and she hummed as she cuddled close to him. "Be strong Trina, strong like I know you are. You'll make it through this."

"I hope so…It's too hard…so hard not to give up. This case has taken everything out of me…"

"And you're _still _fighting, Trina." He gave her a reassuring smile after kissing her forehead. She closed her eyes and breathed in through her nose, exhaling from her lips. "This serial case has apparently eluded other investigators, your mother's body hidden for eighteen years and the killer of both yours and Jade's mom is out there somewhere…freely roaming…now if _anyone_ can solve this, it's _you_. Go out there and kick ass."

"I will. Thanks…I love you, Charlie."

"Love you too."

After an hour, they were there. Trina, Marshall, and DB all standing before Tori's house hold. She felt the wind blowing past her and gazed at the sun through her shades. She narrowed her eyes and scoffed, slowly making her way to the door. "We deal with the case and the case alone, got that?" Trina stated.

"Works for me," Marshall replied, "Not sure how DB feels about that." DB laughed and Trina flashed a deadly smirk. "I'll do the talking if you like?" Humming at the suggestion, she didn't feel it was his place considering it _was_ her father and sister.

"I got this, Marshall." It was more than a routine next of kin notification, she had to question her father too. "Have to eliminate them as suspects. I know my father's and sister's alibis at the time of Denise West's murder, but not Holly Vega."

Once on the porch, she knocked on the door with her free hand, as she was holding the case folder in her left hand. The door opened a few seconds afterwards and Tori gawked like a deer caught in headlights. The second their eyes met, Tori looked ready to faint. Behind her, clearly visible in his recliner was David, with the same stunned expression on his face.

"Funny. My daughter visits you and you're surprised to see me at the door?" She bowed her head and removed her shades, exhaling softly. "Unfortunately, I'm here on business. I don't suppose that lovable oaf of a husband of yours is here today? I seem to recall releasing him back to the public."

"A-Andre came home but left almost immediately." Tori shook her head and clasped her hand to her chest, clutching her blue shirt for dear life. Tears burst from her eyes. "T-Trina, what are…business? What happened? Andre's safe, I hope?"

"For now." Trina and the detectives walked in and Trina pocketed her shades in the pocket on the inside of her coat. "So long as he doesn't do anything that pisses me off. Slamming his car into mine and my father-in-law while drunk doesn't actually give a good first impression."

"Hey I was there too," Marshall joked. Trina glanced back at him with a subtle smirk and he lifted his shoulders.

"I'm going to be up front from the beginning, since I don't want to lead you on." Trina folded her arms and turned to Tori, she knew what she was about to say was going to sound very cold, but she had to be honest. "It's been twenty long years, so don't think this is some benevolent force moving us back together into each other's lives, thereby allowing for everything to start off perfect. It becomes necessary to remove the rose-colored glasses. You, your friends, all hurt me. So you don't get to get everything you could ever want, Tori." Tori cupped her hands over her mouth and tears started to run down the woman's cheeks. "You can spend all the time with my children, I've permitted them to see you. My husband and his dad-" She pointed to DB, who introduced himself with a wave and a one word greeting. "But when it comes to me and you? It's going to take a _long_ time, and right now, I'm not working on that. I'm working on this case."

"I-I understand…um, have a seat, I guess?"

"Thank you." Tori moved to the couch, making haste. David got up from his chair and moved to the couch, motioning for Trina to sit there. She thanked him and moved to the chair while David sat on the couch. "I have, bad news, this doesn't come easy for me at all, but we…we found Mom." She clenched her eyes and Tori gasped out. David tensed, likely understanding what this was.

"When you say you found her…" He moved his trembling hand over his mouth and closed his eyes.

"She…was murdered, we believe, by the same person who took the life of Mrs. West and six other victims. The serial killer that we've been pursuing."

Tori screamed out, "Oh god!" Her own heart was breaking, never did she want to have to give this kind of news to anyone. "H-How long?"

"Eighteen years," Marshall replied. Trina remained silent, fighting back her own tears on this issue. He took the folder from her and opened it up, sighing heavily. "She was reported missing allegedly by Officer Gary Andrews."

"The man she ran off with…"

"He reportedly took his life in September. It's been estimated that the murder of Ms. Vega took place in the final week of June, 2015. Do you remember where you were around June 26th through the week of July 4th?"

"Yes, we were vacationing at Grandma and Grandpa's that week," Tori replied. "We hadn't seen them when my birthday came around, so we thought to spend that week with them. I remember because Grandpa made barbeque and Grandma…Grandma went to the hospital for a heart attack, but she was fine." Trina felt her stomach tighten and slowly opened her eyes, sucking in the information.

"Which grandparents?" She asked. "Dad's parents?"

"Yes, and Aunt Sonya was there too, she can confirm that. I'm sure of it."

"All right…Marshall, I'll take that folder now…" He handed her the folder and she skimmed over the dates of all the victims. "February 28th, 2013…June 28th, 2015…July 4th, 2018…July 4th, 2021…July 3rd, 2023…July 5th, 2026…July 4th, 2028…and most recent, November 22nd, 2032. The last six victims were found at or around _El Salón Roja._" Tori frowned and David meshed his eyebrows together. "I'm going to need alibis from you two, only to clear your names from the books. With Mom's body being found…we don't want a second Mr. West here."

"What does that mean?"

"Jade's father was wrongfully imprisoned and was in prison for the duration of the murders. Now, each of the women listed are women who have cheated on their husbands and most were in their forties." She flicked her eyes towards Tori, recalling Andre's drunken stupor. "Andre mentioned you had an affair, he seemed pretty bent out of shape about it. Granted he was drunk, and suspiciously he admitted to always driving up and down the road where Holly's body was found."

"What? Andre would never do any of that!"

"I looked up his crime report, Tori, he seems pretty far from a preacher boy. Right now we don't have a good list of suspects, but his suspicious nature _does_ raise a few eyebrows."

"Trina. We've never visited Vegas. Hell, Andre doesn't even like leaving this state, much less the city or the house. He's too busy drinking himself into those stupors to be a serial killer."

"Right. Well…I'm still keeping my eye on him, no offense." She pushed herself up, having said enough. There wasn't much she was going to be able to get from questioning the two of them, and her emotional level was far too strained to go any farther. "You know. When I left, Tori, I didn't stop caring about you. I've always cared about you, but when you met those people, I stopped being anything to you and when they walked over me, you let them. They did something to me, and I never knew if you were associated with it or not, but it pushed me over the edge, and that's when I left."

"I-I've never done anything other than say things I know now I should never have said. I don't know what they did to you, if anything."

"You remember the last four guys I dated in that last year?" Tori slowly nodded and Trina wagged her eyebrows. Seeming to understand, Tori moved her hand over her lips and slowly shook her head.

"They wouldn't…"

"They did. Andre says it was Jade's idea. I suppose you ought to look into who you choose as friends. Not to mention, I'm not exactly _thrilled_ with who you married." Trina paused, her heart fluttered for a split second and exhaled softly. "Goodbye for now, Tori." Tori whimpered as Trina made her way to the door. She walked out without looking back, unable to say another word. She pushed her shades back over her eyes to cover the tears burning her retinas. Trina knew now that she saw Tori, the ice was broken and she'd be tempted to run to her again. It was a shame she still didn't get to see Katrina, maybe another time. It was becoming harder to ensure that the rough emotions would stay away.

She was ready to puke at the nearest bush, or bawl her eyes out. When DB stepped next to her, she could hardly think of anything to say. "I just want to focus on solving this case, DB. Solve this case, then go home…just…I can't stand it anymore…"

Maybe she should have been warmer with Tori and her father, but she didn't feel it was appropriate. Or more, she was afraid to open up, afraid to let those emotions out. She'd rather be cold and shut up than to risk more hurt.

* * *

Let me know your thoughts


	27. Possible New Lead

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 27 (Possible New Lead)

It was another slow day at the lab and Trina was getting tired of keeping her family holed up in a hotel. They'd gone over every statement, every crime scene, every bit of evidence, and every single alibi ever given. Even Tori managed to send in hers and David's alibis, as well as Andre's. _Nothing_ was adding up! She was getting to the point where she was almost ready to send her family home and say nothing was going to come of this murder case.

Currently she was at a desk, rubbing her temples and groaning out. Her stomach had been doing flips lately and nausea had pitted her stomach for the last week. She was getting headaches and her body had been feeling like it was on fire for some time now. _"Got to keep reminding myself. Solve this case, get a promotion. A promotion means desk job mostly, desk job and field work with more pay." _ She was getting stressed out, didn't know where to turn to next.

Megan and Joshua had been seeing their Aunt and grandfather a couple times, DB and Charlie had alternated in taking them on visits, but Trina had not seen Tori since their visit almost a week ago. "Another lazy day?" She looked over her shoulder at Marshall, huffing at the bagel in his hand.

"Yeah. Get that bagel out of my sight, please." He raised an eyebrow at her as she turned away. She wasn't sure why she was so grumpy lately, though she did attribute it to stress. She sure as hell wasn't due to face menopause for another ten years. "Unless you intend on piling it with some chocolate, cream cheese, and icing then giving it over to me, I suggest you keep it well hidden." Marshall groaned and glanced at his bagel for a second before throwing it in the trash.

"There goes my brunch."

She looked to her fingernails, humming a light tune as she flicked her nails in the air. "You're lucky I didn't add peanut butter."

Marshall stared at her, slowly turning green before moving his hand to his mouth. "…Excuse me, I have to go to the restroom." She raised an eyebrow and watched as he rushed off. DB walked up, watching inquisitively.

"You don't want to know, DB."

"I'll take your advice on that." He shook his head and moved around the desk. "People in narcotics are asking for you. They say someone is going on and on about wanting to talk to us."

"About what?"

"Our case. It could be a lead."

"Beats being stuck at square one. You want to make sure Marshall's all right in the restroom?"

"I'm sure he'll catch up." She nodded and started moving. DB took one glance to the restroom, then looked back to her. "Really, Trina? _Peanut Butter?"_

"I had to disgust him, couldn't resist, so I pulled some stuff back from when I was pregnant with Megan." She went through nine months of applying peanut butter to almost _everything_, even the weirdest of food choices, such as steaks. She was grateful when she was pregnant, she didn't have to take leave off, but she was on limited duty for those nine months.

"I remember those days. I remember Charlie calling me to tell me of your most recent peanut butter seasoned dish." She smirked with pride and threw her hair back, walking with a confident stride. "Now, narcotics…you don't suppose Cat's in there do you?"

"Wouldn't know, we'll see."

When they arrived, they found that Cat was indeed there. She was sitting in room wearing an orange jumpsuit and cuffs around her wrists. Her eyes were flicking back and forth and misted from tears. Trina was stunned, and waited for the briefing of the narcotics officer standing nearby. "Miss Valentine was arrested with illegal drugs in her possession," The officer explained the obvious. Trina rolled her eyes and signaled for him to carry on past the obvious. He took a momentary pause, cleared his throat, and continued. "She informed us that she would like to speak with you about the murder of Denise West."

Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened, _finally_ there may be something! "Really? Well okay then." The officer opened the door and Cat gasped out, snapping her head over. Her eyes were wide and frantic, the girl looked like she was going through a massive withdrawal. Trina lifted her hand, giving her a gentle smile. "Relax Cat, it's just me. It's okay, I know you requested me to talk, right?"

"Trina…yes…" Trina moved to the chair across from Cat and folded her arms over on the table. DB entered with a pad and paper while Marshall probably would be waiting outside the observation window. That was to say, if he ever got done in the bathroom. "I've been clean for almost a week now. I'm in trouble because of the marijuana plants, but there was some LCD that had also been given to me."

"That's not good, Cat."

"I know, but I really thought it would help me. It didn't. I found the best way to help is to come clean myself and own up to the past." Trina reached over and pat Cat's hand.

"You're right Cat, that's the best way to an innocent mind, to start with a clean slate. So what did you want to talk to me about?" Cat breathed in slowly and closed her eyes.

"Jade. I wanted to talk to you about Jade." A wrinkle formed between Trina's eyebrows and she slowly looked up to DB. Didn't they clear Jade already? "Jade is the one that's been giving me the marijuana plants to grow and the LCD." She snapped her gaze back and felt her jaw drop to the floor. Cat shut her eyes and quickly shook her head. "Jade's always been controlling, even when she wanted to do the thing with those guys that dated you, she controlled everything."

"So you're telling me Jade's been giving you drugs to _control_ you?"

"Yes. I also wanted to say that she _was_ at my house on the day of her mom's murder." She snapped her fingers and cursed mentally. It wasn't that she thought Jade to be capable, it was just another possible suspect that could be thrown down the pipes. Cat opened her eyes and moved her arms beneath the table. "But she wasn't there all day."

"Okay?"

"Jade was gone, she went to the store for about forty five minutes. Or an hour, I don't remember." Trina raised an eyebrow and DB lowered his pad. "I remember we were watching this show about twins and a boat, but that was it. During the program, Jade got up and said she was going to the store."

"Why so sudden?"

"I don't know…I think she got a phone call, because her phone rang. She answered it, but only sat there, listening for some time before hanging up and running off. Didn't look like a good phone call either." It sounded very much like a misdial, she'd had those moments where Tori, or someone else, would bump the phone with their hip and accidentally call them up. Usually when answered, you could hear talking, but that was about it. "But ever since then, she started making me take these drugs, they kept me calm and pushed my anxiety levels down."

"Cat…I want to thank you for telling me this, and I applaud you for stopping the drug use." Cat gave her a smile and quickly nodded her head. It would be difficult to stop doing the drugs, but now that Cat acknowledged the problem, it was in good faith that she believed the girl would get help. Now Trina had more work to do, investigate why Jade left the premise and didn't tell the original officer. Not to mention, what was she doing? "Um, do you happen to remember what store Jade said she was going to?"

"No, some Corner Store, I think. It might have been the farmer's market."

"Okay. Thank you."

No arrest was being made because they didn't have proof of anything at all, they only had a witness testimony that Jade left and went somewhere else for forty five minutes to an hour. That wasn't proof of anything at all. However, the phone call sounded rather incriminating.

When at Jade's, the woman seemed appalled that they were back with more questions. "Jade we checked your alibi out," Trina began, "It turns out you _left_ for forty five minutes to an hour to go to the store. What is that about?"

"What?" Jade gasped for a second and scoffed, "Am I being charged for something? I got up and went to the store,_ big deal."_

"You didn't tell that to the investigating officer. That's omission of truth and hindering an investigation by giving false information." Jade rolled her eyes as Trina leaned back into the couch. She was on fire once again, and she was blazing through these questions. "Also, you received a phone call, apparently."

"I'm guessing Cat has been telling you these things?" Jade folded her arms and tilted her head, "That girl's a drug addict Trina. You can't believe everything she says." Jade waved her hand through the air and looked away, "There was no phone call."

"What contact info did you have in your phone at the time, Jade?"

"Beck, my parents, and each of that group of friends that you say 'poisoned' your sister."

"All right. Great." She had phone records to check, then, and she wanted to begin first with Denise's number. Of course, the phone company _could_ still have Jade's phone information from all the way back then, which would make her job a whole lot easier. "As for Cat and drugs." She tapped her foot on the ground, smirking as she glared into Jade's eyes. "You mind explaining to me why you so prominently gave your friend LCD and marijuana plants?"

"I don't know what you're a talking about."

"Cat informed us that it was you giving her these drugs she's been taking." Jade narrowed her eyes and threw her hands in the air, scoffing tiredly.

"I'm telling you, Cat's a drug addict making up all this crap. She's been delirious and hallucinating for the past _twenty years!_ Are you _seriously_ going to take a drug addict by their word, Trina?"

"Right now the statement of a 'drug addict' is the best thing we have to go off of." Trina's deadly glare sharpened and Jade paused, glaring back at her. "Relax though, I'm not narcotics. I'm homicide. You can tell me if you've been dealing out drugs to your best friend…and hopefully you haven't been doing that with Tori."

"Oh please, Tori wouldn't touch drugs to save her life. She already quit antidepressants after being on them for like one week!" Well _that_ was good news at least. "But fine. Yes, I gave Cat drugs, but only because I thought it would help her anxiety. There was nothing malicious about it. And yes, I went to the store, it was the local farmer's market near Fifth and Broker, Cat had been asking about bananas so I thought to get some for her. Is that all?"

"For now, Jade. For now, we'll see if your story checks out…don't go anywhere."

As they left, Trina was feeling particularly proud of herself, they finally had a possible suspect. Granted, she didn't know if it was a true possibility, but she did recall Jade had a fascination with scissors back in the day.

On a hunch she had a while back, she thought to act out on contacting the casino. She looked to DB as they started to enter the car, "DB. Contact _El Salón Roja,_ and have them compile a complete list of guest receipts or notables on or around the days of each victim. I want to know if there are any one that might have been spotted there on multiple occasions."

"All right, I'll get on that."

"Great. Now we're getting somewhere…"

* * *

Well, this is good, tell me your thoughts here


	28. A Sister's Rage

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 28 (Rage)

"I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out how to get her back," Tori remarked. She was on the couch with Charlie, who was watching his children play with Katrina. David was doing some shopping and Andre was elsewhere. She was devastated, her heart breaking and her body on fire. She wasn't sure if she should feel angry or depressed, as Charlie had just told her what her friends did twenty years ago. "I never even knew…"

Jade, her friends, managed to orchestrate four men to humiliate Trina, each in different ways. David was actually here when the news was broken, when told, he 'needed to think' and left. The key issue, at least for him, was that Andre was involved in that inner circle. "That issue has been the forefront of her anxieties the moment she stepped foot in LA. For a very long time, she thought you might have been a part of that." Tori's head flew up and her eyes widened as her hand shot to her chest.

"What? Never! I loved my sister, all I ever wanted was for her to be happy. I know I was wrong to never stand up for her but I loved her. Hell, she was Daddy's favorite!" Charlie raised an eyebrow as the tears streamed from her eyes. "If I could take back the mistakes I made, I would, but I never would have done something so cruel to Trina. You're telling me because of what happened, I spent twenty years never knowing how she was doing? I had a nephew, a niece, and I never even _knew_?"

"Yeah." Tori whined, upset that she never understood why Trina didn't like them. Now she _did_ know. Everything hit her like a hurricane with excessive force, throwing her back and forth. "I…want to be in Trina's life. I want…I want her to forgive me, to love me again. Why won't she?"

"It isn't that she won't, Tori, it's twenty years of pain. It's going to take some time before you two can really ever go back to that tight sister relationship you should have, and even then, there's not much chance that the bond will ever be the same."

"I don't even want to be here anymore, I want to be with her…"

"You'll have to let her know, but I think right now she's shifted her focus to keeping on that case. I think she's getting close to solving it." Tori started to smile, she was happy that Trina was doing so well with her life. It sounded like Trina had gotten everything she ever wanted in life.

"She always wanted to be the best at everything, to be the one in charge and looked up to. She wanted to have a great family and it seems like she got all those things. Maybe not the fame."

"For her, it's never been about the fame." Tori raised an eyebrow and followed Charlie's gaze towards the children playing on the ground with their toy dinosaurs and soldiers. "I guess in a way, she's sort of the star of the Vegas crime lab, they're even going to give her a promotion to lead investigator, the boss, once she solves this serial killer case."

Tori gasped, amazed and overjoyed that Trina was so close to a promotion! She clapped her hands together once and grinned, "So she is getting everything she wants, and more. Wonderful husband, great children, good career…Now, maybe she could save me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm miserable, obviously."

"It's like I said Tori, it is going to take a willingness from the both of you to put for that effort. You have to make things right with her, she has to let down that wall she keeps up so often." She was more than ready to _try_, but how could she when Trina didn't even want to see her? Trina avoided her like the plaque, and it hurt! "Pretty sure Trina also has a problem with that husband of yours, she doesn't even like me bringing Megan and Joshua here at the risk that Andre will do something to them."

"Yeah…" Tori bowed her head and tensed her muscles as headlights shone through the windows from outside. "I've been thinking about a divorce, actually…I was told by Beck that I should be putting up with his drinking. Cat even accused me of being a pushover." Charlie hummed and Tori lifted her gaze up to him, she didn't think he had to hide that she was. She knew she was. "I'm stupid, I'm naïve, I'm a pushover…It's apparently easy for people to lie to me, because apparently I'm just going to believe them when they tell me they had nothing to do with hurting my sister!"

"Maybe tell Trina that. I know her enough to know she's still compassionate."

"You think she'd still care about me?"

"There may be a lot of bad blood between the two of you, but in the end, you're still sisters. I think if you truly needed something, were in real danger, she'd help you. She never stopped loving you, Tori. Her fears were that you and her parents stopped loving her." Tori swept away a tear and scoffed for a brief second.

"I could never stop loving her, I've said that."

"Yeah. Maybe show her?"

"But _how_?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something. Your sister's smart, you're smart, it seems like your whole clan should be plenty smart."

"If I was so smart, I wouldn't have got caught up in the situations that I did…I wouldn't have been so stupid that it took a ten year old girl to tell me that I didn't act very sisterly." Charlie chuckled and watched as the three children made their way to the hallway towards Katrina's bedroom. "Please tell Trina that I love her?"

"Like I said, you'll have to find a way to do that yourself. I've already told her that you probably cared for her." Tori nodded her head, feeling her heart breaking in two within her chest.

Just then, the door flew open, startling her. "Tori!" Andre's voice rang out, echoing in the walls. Her heart stopped and her eyes widened. _Shit! He's drunk!_ She turned her gaze to him, his eyes were wide and blood shot, his chest was heaving, and sweat drenched his trembling body. Charlie looked back to the hallway, cursing under his breath. "Who the _fuck_ is_ that!_ You're cheating on me again aren't you!"

"What? No! Andre this is-" Andre rushed for her and she quickly jumped from the couch. Charlie bolted for the hallway, stopping in front and ordering the children in the back room. Tori gasped out as Andre began making his move for Charlie. "No! I'm not cheating on you Andre, that was one time! Just one time!" She got up and moved before Charlie, extending her arms, she was going to protect Trina's husband and kids if she had to. "This is Trina's h-"

"Out of my way." He pushed her to the side. Tori gasped out as her shoulder struck the wall. A paralyzing feeling shot through her and her hand latched onto the shoulder. It had already been dislocated a few years back from falling onto the concrete. She let out a loud scream and crashed onto the floor, clutching herself.

"Charlie, take Megan and Joshua, and run! I'm sorry!"

Charlie spun around and Andre slammed his fist into the man's abdomen, "You stay away from my wife you prick!" Tori screamed at him that Charlie was Trina's husband, but for some reason, her cries were falling onto deaf ears. Charlie doubled over and took a step back.

"Daddy!" Megan screamed. The girl ran out and jumped in front of her father. Fear flooded Tori's veins as Megan glared up to Andre. She cried out for Megan to go back to Katrina's bedroom. "You hurt my dad!"'

"Oh look, the prick has a kid!" Charlie's eyes shot open as Andre reared his fist. Megan let out a shriek as her father stepped in front of her, taking a blow to the jaw. With that, Megan ran back to the bedroom in tears as Andre began kicking Charlie. "Asshole…coming into _my_ house with _my_ family!"

"Andre! No!" Tori sobbed as she saw Charlie losing consciousness. The man was still holding on, on the chance that Andre were to pursue Megan or Joshua. She didn't want to lose her right to see her niece or nephew, but she didn't want them in any danger either. "Please Andre!"

"Andre Harris, step down now." David's order rang out, startling everyone. The man was standing in a brown trench coat and had several shopping bags around his feet. His eyes narrowed darkly onto Andre and Tori slowly pulled herself up, then rushed over to Charlie's side.

At the hotel room, Trina tapped her foot anxiously while waiting for Charlie and her children to come back. She heard a siren charge by, but thought little of it as it was an ambulance siren. She was sitting at the table beside the window and peering out, gazing at the sidewalk and sighing heavily.

The door flew open and she glanced over to see DB standing in the doorway. He looked disheveled, his body shaking as he ran his hand nervously through his hair. "Trina, we have to go. You're not going to like this."

"Everything all right?"

"I'm afraid not. Charlie's in the hospital." Her eyes began widening and she jumped from the table, fearing the worst. "Megan and Joshua are there too, but unhurt."

Along the way to the hospital, it didn't take her long to figure things out. She'd heard what the police report was saying, Andre arrived home drunk.

Angry that her daughter, son, and husband were put in a dangerous situation, she flew through the hospital halls. DB raced after her, begging her to handle this calmly. "I have no calmness left in me for him, no patience." They knew Andre was in a room with Marshall. When she arrived, she asked Marshall to step out. The man knew exactly what was happening.

Andre looked up at her with wide eyes as she grabbed him and slammed him up against the wall. "You put my husband in the hospital you little shit!" She slammed her fist into his gut, causing him to flinch and double over. "Doesn't feel good, _does it_?" She back handed him, then tossed him on the ground. "Get up! You want a fight, you got one! Get up!"

Andre coughed and pushed himself to his hands and knees, growling as his body trembled. "You…"

"You expect you can roughhouse my sister? You expect you can put my husband in the hospital, or dare to strike my _daughter?_ Oh yeah, I heard that from the officer gathering statements. Get up, you fucking coward…"

"I am not a coward."

"I said, get up!"

With a growl, Andre rose up and threw a fist towards her. Her hand flew up and clasped around his. Her eyes narrowed as fire shot through her.

"You will stay away from my sister. Got that? You will stay away from my husband, from my children, from my father…and if I see you around them again, I will have no reservations about throwing your ass in jail, which is exactly where you're going right _now_."

She felt someone's hand on her shoulder and looked back to see DB giving her a look to back down. With a heavy sigh, she nodded and turned away from Andre. Just as they were about to walk away, she heard him starting to throw a punch. She narrowed her eyes and growled. "Big mistake, Harris." She leaned to the right, lifted her leg, and shot it out, striking him in the chest. Andre flew back against the wall and groaned.

"Sober up, then we'll talk…I have to see my husband and kids…"

* * *

I know every one of you has been waiting for that to happen to Andre. This was a tough chapter, but a landmark one indeed. Lend me your thoughts


	29. New Developments in the Case

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 29 (Developments)

As Trina walked into her husband's hospital room, she heard Joshua and Megan call out to her. "Momma!" They cried as their tiny arms flew around her. She was relieved to see them and held them close. On the stretcher was Charlie, he had a couple bruises on his face and his body, but overall, he seemed okay and was giving her a smile. She honestly wanted to know _how_ he'd be smiling while he's in pain.

The children rushed over to his side as Trina made her way to the bed and sat on the edge. She placed her hand in his and gazed into his eyes. "You okay, Charlie?"

"Couple bruised ribs that's all," He joked and gave her hand a light squeeze. "Andre is a paranoid drunk, he came in thinking that I was some guy Tori was cheating on him with. Your sister even tried to tell him I was your husband, but apparently that didn't do any ounce of good." Trina closed her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh as both Megan and Joshua climbed up to their father. "Your dad came in and told Andre to settle down, Andre went for him and he decked the guy. Knocked him out cold…"

"I guess Dad's still got some strength left in him, huh?" She tucked her hair back and smirked, imagining her father swinging a sharp right hook into Andre's face. David had always been strong, he was one of the best officers on the beat in his day and an intimidating force to reckon with. She looked towards the round faces of her children and smiled as she protectively caressed their cheeks. "I'm glad you're all safe."

"You should have seen it!" Joshua exclaimed while throwing his hands up in the air, "Dad wasn't letting him in the hallway, and the instant Grandpa Vega showed up, boom!" Trina chuckled lightly and ran her hand through her son's hair. She kissed the tops of their heads.

"Well that's your grandfather for you, he's always been built like an ox. Seventy years old and he's still strong? Not surprised. Where's your aunt? How is she?" Joshua and Megan shrugged their shoulders and gestured to the wall, implying Tori was likely in the neighboring room.

"I think they said her shoulder was dislocated," Megan replied. Again, it wouldn't be surprising, considering the report that she'd read. She honestly didn't want to get involved with Tori, but now it seemed like someone was forcing her hand. "Momma, does this mean we can't see Aunt Tori anymore?"

Trina looked to her daughter's sad gaze and reached over, cupping her hands on Megan's cheeks and kissing her forehead. "Of course not, baby. It just means things are a little more difficult, that's all. I'm going to go deal with your aunt, though. Stay here with your father, all right?"

"Okay…"

She left the room, tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't know what to do, she _couldn't_ ignore the fact that her sister's husband just beat her own husband and threatened her children. She couldn't ignore the fact that Tori was married to a paranoid alcoholic. Things were tense enough with this serial killer case, she didn't need any extra stress or tension.

She looked towards the ceiling and with a heavy sigh, she shook her head as though wishing to reject all of this pressure, "Trying to tell me something, God? I wanted no part of my family…" And yet, she was officially a part of it again._ "Thanks a lot Andre…"_

If DB hadn't gone in to stop her, she likely would have killed him, and that would have caused a world of more trouble for her. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Andre being transported away by the police. His gaze met hers and she instantly turned away.

Making her way into her sister's room, she saw Katrina curled up with her mom and David sitting in the chair beside her. They looked up to Trina, all with a stunned gaze. "Well. I just got done talking to my family and paying a visit to that husband of yours. He's going to be spending some time in jail thanks to his actions." Tori bowed her head and Katrina hurried over to her. This was Trina's first time actually seeing the girl.

"Aunt Trina?" Trina looked down at her, smiling as she crouched before the child. She had to admit, Tori did have a lovely daughter, and it was a shame she never met her. She felt a great amount of sorrow over that fact, but lamenting would do her no good. "Because Daddy got mad, does that mean I can't see my cousins anymore?"

"No. No it doesn't mean that, but things are certainly difficult, dear."

"Okay…"

Trina rose to her feet and walked over to Tori, peering down at her sister's tear filled eyes, "I never thought I'd have to be the strong one here. How's your shoulder?"

Tori moved her hand over her shoulder and averted her gaze, "It's fine, and you've always been the stronger of us…I'm the blind one."

"What does that mean?"

"Charlie told me…what they did to you…" Trina pressed her lips together and held her breath. She wasn't happy that he did that, but it made no difference either way. "Andre was involved too. I feel like such a _fool_." Trina shut her eyes and folded her arms over.

"You were. I guess I'm partly to blame, I never introduced you to my own friends. And yes, I had friends, friends that you and your friends ran off." Tori gasped out and moved her hand to her chest.

"I'm sorry! I never meant-"

"Spare it. This isn't the time or the place, and quite frankly, I don't want to hear it. I told you once, 'sorry' isn't going to cut it…Also, I know I don't have a whole lot of right, but I informed Andre that he is to stay the hell away from you. Primarily if he is drunk." Tori started to smile, happy her older sister at least cared enough to do _that_. "Things would have been a lot worse if he actually touched Megan or Joshua."

Tori tensed and turned her eyes to Katrina. "Trina…I'm making a decision right now. I want…I want to be with you. I want to try and get you to trust me again, to love me again. I want to protect my daughter, I don't want to put your family in danger…it's been a long time coming, but, I want to file for divorce…" She hummed at her sister and looked over to their father, the man gave Tori a little smile and Katrina bowed her head, seemingly understanding what 'divorce' meant. Nowadays, even the smallest of children understood divorce meant separation. "B-But I'm afraid to leave him. I can't leave him. I have nowhere to go…"

"And I imagine you know that I am living in a hotel room right now. Just stay at the house for now, Andre's in jail and he's not going anywhere for at least a little while." He still had that civil case for ramming into the patrol unit while drunk off his rocker. In other words, he was going to have a fine or jail time to deal with now.

"I'm divorcing my 'friends' too." She raised an eyebrow at Tori, the girl was very sure she was done with that group of people. "After hearing what they did to you, I just…I couldn't stand it. I'm done with them, done trusting them." Tori shook her head and clenched her eyes shut. "How is your case coming along? Any suspects yet?"

"We have a lead right now. Someone came forward." The people at the farmer's market were searching that particular date of transactions for receipts, but had not found any sale transaction issued to Jade West or any credit card transactions in her father's name. It was possible if she went there, that she paid in cash. No one was able to recall her picture, though.

The only thing that would prove is that she didn't go shopping at that store. "We need to prove the suspect was at the scene of the crime. If we can prove that, then we'll have struck a gold mine. More than that, if we can prove the suspect was at the other crime scenes, we then have to prove that they're responsible."

"Trina, when you solve the case…you're going back to Vegas?"

"Would be where my life is, Tori."

"Yeah, I know. I just…I miss you."

"I got that." Maybe she should have thought about that before she used her like a doormat twenty years ago? Trina tried to swallow the bitter thought and slowly turned away, she had to go be with her family. "Stay safe, all right?"

At the crime lab, Andre sat across from Trina, his arms crossed and eyes narrow. She was tapping her foot on the ground and studying him closely, resisting the urge to pummel him. "That must be a pretty nasty hangover you've got right about now."

"Yeah, what's it to you?"

"I have a question for you. It involves the case I'm working here." Andre rolled his eyes and Trina smacked down a photo of Jade. "Jade West, you recognize her obviously." Andre's eyebrows scrunched up and Trina's lips slid into a smirk. "We're going to be here a while, so get comfortable."

"You…what are you charging me of?"

"Nothing yet, you're just being questioned. Although in other areas you're fixing to be slapped with an assault and battery charge."

"Is this because I got drunk and smacked your husband around?"

"Don't pester me, Harris. I'm in no mood and I am _not_ a pushover. It is because at the time of her mother's death, you were working part time at the farmer's market. It stands in between Cat's home and her mom's home. Her claim is that she spent nearly an hour at that store."

"I didn't see her." Andre shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, I saw her that day, but I don't remember what she was doing there. Probably buying some stuff. I had a part time thing there as a cashier, yeah, but that day I was busy helping to clean up some customer spill. Another cashier was manning the booth, If I remember correctly."

"You don't remember correctly. Twenty years ago the farmer's market only had one cashier and they hired you temporarily. I remember because I remember Tori telling me about that job. If there was a cashier, it was you. Did she or did she _not_ enter the establishment on February 28th, 2013? Between the hours of 2 and 4?"

Andre huffed and Trina started to stand, she began to move around the table and Andre quickly lifted his hands. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." She sat on the edge closest to him and folded her hands between her legs. "I need to know the truth, Andre. It's the only way we're going to solve this case, as well as the murders of my mother and six other women. Did Jade, or did she not, enter the establishment?"

"She did…" Trina closed her eyes as Andre looked down to his hands. "But not to buy something. She wanted to discard something…she had a plastic bag with stuff I couldn't see. She asked me to let her dispose of it in the back dumpster…I let her because, well, you remember how scary that girl was. I was afraid she'd off me if I didn't, and furthermore…she told me if I told anyone at all about that, I'd be in a lot of trouble as well."

"I see." Trina straightened herself and broadened her shoulders, sighing heavily. "Thank you for your time, Andre." She began moving to the door, stopping as he started to speak up once again.

"I drink out of guilt, you know." She peered from over her shoulder. His head was bowed and his shoulders slumped. "Jade's always been controlling, every bit of it, and even today…that control remains. You have to realize, Trina, she's the reason behind a lot of things that happened to you…happened to Tori…every one of us in that group, we're all the puppets, and only Robbie got away."

"Don't know if I'd say that…"

"Well that's the reason Cat pushed him out." She raised an eyebrow as Andre lifted his head up. He gazed at her with mournful, misty eyes. "I've known Jade was giving Cat drugs, she was doing it to keep her 'quiet'. Beck's a compulsive gambler, all his earnings go to gambling, practically. But the reason I drink? I'm not a _suspect_, Trina, I'm a _witness."_

"A witness? What did you see?" She folded her arms as Andre closed his eyes and inhaled slowly.

"Your mom's death." Trina froze for a second before staggering over to the table, she needed to hear this now. She was stunned Andre was a witness, but then, why had he never come forward? "It was close to the end of June, it was dark and stormy. My car had broken down on that one stretch of road and I went to inspect it, then I heard Mrs. Vega's voice."

"Go on…"

Andre clenched his eyes, trembling slightly as Trina studied him. Her concern was growing as he started to open his eyes back and gaze half lidded at the wall in front of him. "I went to investigate that marsh, but couldn't see anything. All I know is I saw someone in a robe cutting a body up. Then as soon as the kill was done, it was like…the person just transformed, calling out 'Ms. Vega? Ms. Vega?' Like they hadn't even realized who the person was they were killing. The thunder made it hard to recognize vocal sounds and all that. I ran away and didn't even come back for my car the next day…when I did, there was fresh mound of dirt like a body had been buried."

"Why? Why didn't you report that?"

"Because I got scared, and I was half drunk anyway and not even sure if I was hallucinating. The thing is, after that…I've lived with the guilt of that, and so, I drink more…"

"I understand. It's still not an excuse to hit your wife or even her brother-in-law or children."

"I _know_ that…"

"Right. Well thank you for your time…can you confirm that date for me?"

"I think it was around the 28th. I'm not sure."

"All right…" This was good news, they now officially had more to deal with in the case. Not much, nothing earth shattering, but still something nonetheless. This was something they could work with.

* * *

So Andre's a witness, albeit in trouble for never reporting. Trina and Tori had a good talk, but there's more to come where that's concerned. What are your thoughts through this?


	30. The Scissoring

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 30 (The Scissoring)

As the investigation persisted, Trina was still not sure how to place Jade, or any other known person, at the scene of any of the crimes. The casino in Vegas still hadn't collected all their totals, but _did_ state every single victim had purchased something at the bar. It was the middle of a long night and Trina honestly just wanted to get home, albeit the hotel, and go to bed. She was extremely tired, still felt nauseous and was irritable as hell.

She was going over her notes when DB came up behind her, practically startling her as thunder blasted outside. "You having trouble staying awake?" DB asked in his usual, chipper tone. She looked up at him with bags under her eyes.

"What do you think? I'm going over the list of statements received from Cat Valentine, Andre Harris, Jade Oliver, and now even Beck." Marshall had questioned him, but he, unfortunately, had nothing to give to them. She was starting to doubt herself, which was terrible, considering she'd never known her intuition to be _wrong_. Perhaps it was all the personal emotions that were affecting her. "Maybe we're looking at the wrong angles. It's just that Mrs. West met any strangers in her last few days and before her affairs, she was a horrible recluse."

"We managed to get a statement from someone that knew your mother, and they stated that sometime around the start of the summer, she was seen with this other woman that had long black hair and makeup. Add that to Andre's witness testimony saying he heard someone saying Ms. Vega, when I think your mom may have been going by Gary's surname. The mourning implies the suspect knew her, as the suspect felt remorse and shock. Then you have to consider the efforts the killer went through to make sure she _wasn't_ found. Perhaps the said suspect wouldn't want someone else knowing about the death?"

"Mom's death at the time would have devastated Tori." So if it were Jade, then why would Jade care if Tori was devastated or not, unless she didn't want that? "Jade, I can understand why she'd probably kill her own mother, assuming she did, but I don't know…I'm starting to second guess myself, not to mention, I _am_ falling asleep."

"Then what do you say we watch a movie?" She raised an eyebrow and waited as DB dropped a DVD on the desk. She peered down and chuckled, it was _The Scissoring_. She'd never seen the movie, but she heard about it all the time, Jade's favorite movie growing up. Was this some kind of joke? "I watched this on a hunch, and I have to say, I think you'll be interested in the findings."

"Honestly?" She took a deep breath and lifted her shoulders, "What the hell, got nothing else to do." She took the movie and walked with DB to the viewing room where Marshall had fallen asleep on the couch. She tapped his foot and he quickly poked his head up. "Come on, we're watching this movie. Get the popcorn ready, it's going to be a long night."

"Oh," he muttered as DB moved to the television.

"Some peanut butter might go well with that."

"Are you _crazy?"_

"Maybe. I mean hell, I've been on an emotional roller coaster since I got here."

The trio settled on the couch as the movie began to play, a cult classic that hadn't been mentioned in twenty years. Trina smirked as Marshall complained about watching what was now considered a 'lackluster' slasher flick. She wanted to retort and say it was better than a chick flick, but then, she'd made Charlie sit through those a million times. It was a great excuse to use her husband as a human tissue. So likely, that would be a hypocritical statement for her to say.

Ironically, horror movies, _good ones_, were Charlie's excuse to get her to cuddle up with him. She hated horror movies! The old ones like these, they didn't scare her one bit. She could watch the saw series a million times over if she had to, and would even laugh at Freddy Krueger. The truly scary ones, and the horror genre got an excellent revamping after 2014 when they had the 2000's version of Alfred Hitchcock come around, those were the ones that frightened her to the point of curling up against her husband.

The movie started out slowly, as most of those straight to DVD movies tend do go. The girl came back from the dead looking like a mix between the Ring girl and the thing, with long black hair and a blood stained dress. The demonic ghost wanted revenge as two of her friends had been responsible for her death. The movie was filled with all the predictable things that the old horror movies had been filled with, the only thing missing the immortal villain. But wait, that was there too, big surprise.

As the movie droned on, Trina watched the killer and the victims closely, narrowing her eyes as the victims were accused of spouting lies. To that end, the very first girl was snatched up and impaled. The killer proceeded to take her scissors and cut her lips into a permanent smile so that people would associate her lies with a smile of death. Then the killer used a knife to cut a hole over the heart, then what came next was startling, the killer used the scissors to cut the veins and arteries before moving on.

Trina was astounded with how accurate the movie, done years before the murders, portrayed the real cases. She looked to the folder in her lap and started looking through the pictures of the murder weapons found at the crime scene of Mrs. West. A bloody knife and a pair of shears.

As the movie continued, they found that the killer stalked the victims in the open. In other words, the girl befriended the prey and did nice things for them before luring them out and dismembering them. Trina recalled some of the witness statements given in regards to the other victims that the victim was seen talking to a person that often bought them a beer before leaving the scene with that person. Said person was often unknown, unable to be described due to the amount of people and distractions, and often seemed to blend in with the surroundings.

The killer would proceed to leave victims out in the open throughout the movie for people to find. As the movie played on, Trina slowly looked to DB, understanding why she was watching this. Their serial killer was essentially acting out the movie! Not to mention, their current lead suspect loved the movie.

Now her intuition was biting her in the ass, and on a hunch, she grasped the arm of the chair and started to shift towards the door. "Shit…Is Andre still in his holding cell?"

"Yes," DB replied. She flew out of the room and charged into the holding cells, eventually finding Andre. She kicked the bars until he woke up and looked up at her, moaning.

"What is the problem?"

"Jade obviously still has control over you and over Cat, I need you to tell me more. Surely you looked at that bag before tossing it into the dumpster, Jade wouldn't have threatened you if you didn't know something was up." Andre raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Clothes, I think…"

"Clothing? What kind of clothing? Did you look?"

"No…" Figuring she was getting nothing out of Andre, she hurried to the narcotics department where Cat was still in _her_ holding cell. Cat was sitting on the bench inside the cell, playing with some sort of doll that she'd brought with her. The girl looked up at Trina with a subtle smile.

"Cat, if I were to ask you to tell me if Jade returned to your house with the items she promised, what would you say? Not to mention, clothes, same or different?"

"She didn't? She came home…" Cat squinted her eyes and tilted her head, shrugging her shoulders. "Different clothing, I think. She was wearing a red shirt and blue jeans with a scarf when she left. She came back with a black shirt, black jeans and no scarf."

"What do you remember about that phone call? Surely there was something more?"

"I don't remember anything about the phone call…All I remember was overhearing voices on the other end, I think maybe her mom and dad. Or at least, some guy. Why?" Trina's phone buzzed with a notification, she pulled it out and lifted her eyebrows. The records from _El Salón Roja _had just been emailed to her. Along with the phone company's records regarding the phone call.

She moved to her computer in the main area and started it up, she needed to check this out_ now_, there was no further time. She didn't want to think Jade was the killer they'd been looking for, but things were not looking good for the woman. Right now, she needed to know if anyone could locate a repeat guest over the last several years.

If her assumptions were right, the records would come in as bar receipts. After all, every victim had a drink ordered for them. Now, Andre mentioned Beck had a gambling problem, and therefore it was likely that he could have gone to the casino. Anyone with gambling addictions would be apt to frequent a casino, especially one that was allegedly for the elites.

"What's going on?" DB asked as he and Marshall came up behind her.

"I've got a hunch, and I'm investigating it."

"Okay…"

It felt good, her body was on fire and the passion had been reignited in her. She didn't get this excited unless she was close to solving a case, and _this_ was the biggest case of her life!

She pulled up the phone records, scrolled to the date of the murder. She circled the date with her mouse, laughing once. Mrs. West called her daughter at approximately 1:25 PM. The call lasted for four minutes, but with the reaction told by Cat, it was evident the call was an accident and something was overheard. "Look DB, Marshall, Jade West received a phone call before her mother. The last contact."

DB rubbed his chin and Marshall studied the casino records in the window beside the phone records. He pointed at a familiar name, "Beck Oliver lost eight grand on July 2nd 2018, he won it back on July 4th. These are win and loss records."

"I see that." Indeed, the casinos were required to record every win and loss given, so clearly the team was getting that rather than what she'd hoped for. As she scrolled through the list of names, she didn't see many people repeated. There were approximately seven names that had been there more than once over the last 20 years.

She took these seven and further investigated, managing to find that only four names appeared more than twice, then only three appeared more than two times and both times on dates listed as a win or loss on the day of victim deaths. However, there was one name only that scored losses on _each date_.

"July 4th 2018, Actor Beck Oliver played Craps from 7:00 PM to the midnight hour, winning 23 grand. July 4th, 2021, Actor Beck Oliver spotted playing video poker at eight PM and craps at ten PM, losing 10 grand. July 3rd, 2023, Beck Oliver plays Roulette, then Black Jack from Noon to midnight, losing five grand. July 5th, 2026 Beck Oliver loses eight grand and wins back four grand playing Poker. July 4th, 2028 Beck Oliver plays Hearts with fellow actor Jeremy Tussell, plays the pot and takes all. Then November 22nd, 2032...Beck Oliver wins 50 grand playing a game of Roulette."

"Shit, didn't Mrs. Oliver say they were never at the casino?" Marshall asked. That _was_ what she said, but Jade hadn't made a whole lot of sense whenever questioned. "If Beck was at the casino for most of these, then he's got an alibi…"

"_He_ has an alibi. His _wife_ doesn't." She started to lift her head, stuttering as a numbness overtook her. If Jade was indeed the killer, which she didn't know that she was quite yet, they still had to prove that, then who was the next victim? Her heart pulsated as she looked towards the holding cells.

Andre was always going on about Tori cheating on him, was he not? Tori admitted to having had an affair. Did Jade know? Besides the age, Tori matched the victim demographics. Long brown hair, close to forty, married with a child, had an affair. Jade started a recent friendship with her, hoping to get close, but was it for malicious purposes?

"Shit!" She grabbed her phone, still feeling a sickening twist in her gut. She first dialed the Oliver residence. If she got a hold of Jade, she was going to immediately inform her she was due in for questioning. Instead, what she got was Beck, very groggy and upset to be awakened at what was late at night. Eleven o'clock. She actually acknowledged that she needed to be getting home herself.

"Who's calling?" Beck asked in his usual groggy voice.

"This is Detective Russell, is your wife present?"

"What?" There was a moment of silence, then an irritated tone came back, "No Jade's not here. I don't know where she is. Can this wait until morning?" Eleven PM was usually around the time the serial killer struck the victims in Vegas. All deaths had occurred between the hours of ten and midnight.

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Oliver. Also, how often do you and your wife visit Las Vegas?"

"Every summer…I play the cards for an hour or two and she goes to the bar to wait on me."

"Crap." She hung up then immediately dialed her sister's house under the suspicion that Tori may very likely be Jade's next target. The phone rang until David picked up, also speaking with a very groggy and tired tone. "Dad, where is Tori?"

"She went out a couple hours ago, why?"

"Did she say where she was going?"

"Cemetery of Fallen Angels…she wanted to see her mom. She said it couldn't wait." Trina rolled her eyes, sighing heavily. She didn't understand it as much as her father didn't. Why go to the cemetery at night?

"Dad, try to call her. Tell her to get home."

"Is everything okay?"

"Just do it please." She hung up the phone and pushed herself from the desk, growling as she removed her gun from the desk and pushed it into the holster on her hip. "DB, Marshall, let's go…I have a bad feeling, I just want to make sure my sister is okay…"

* * *

She's figuring out the case, but will it be too late? Your thoughts.


	31. The Cemetery

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 31 (The Cemetery)

Tori stood before her mother's grave, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. She wanted to mourn the woman and had been sitting there for quite some time. She felt like she'd been followed, but couldn't confirm that. "Mom, I'm sorry…" She swept her tears from her eyes and started to sob. "If I made you leave…I'm sorry. If I ruined your life, I'm sorry." She didn't like feeling depressed, but she couldn't help it. Wasn't it her fault life turned out the way it did?

She rose from kneeling position, gazing down at the red rose she left atop the grave. Everything had come to a head lately, and _still_ her sister didn't seem to want her in her life. Maybe she was better off dead? David could take care of Katrina. "I don't know what I'm going to do, Mom…" She didn't want to be like her mother, she didn't want to disappear the way Holly had. Even Trina had the audacity to come back, whether willing or not. It looked like Trina _wanted_ to work on their relationship, but she didn't know. "It's not fair. The second Trina solves her case, she's going back to Las Vegas. I'll be stuck as a depressed school teacher divorced from an alcoholic. Even Dad doesn't have faith in me anymore!"

She heard what sounded like an owl chirping in the dead of night. She honestly hated the nighttime, and what was worse, there was thunder all around her. Strangely enough, it wasn't raining, but perhaps that was because she was letting the rain out. Tori heard her cell phone blaring out and debated answering. It didn't seem polite to answer a phone in the cemetery, for some reason. She didn't want to disturb the dead.

Second guessing that, she answered anyway, but kept her voice at a whisper. She knew the caller was her father, so it couldn't hurt to make sure he was okay. "What's going on Daddy? Is everything okay?"

"I'm just checking up on you. Where are you? Still at the cemetery?"

"Yeah. Just me and…all the dead people." Tori started walking away from her mom's grave, heaving forth a wistful sigh before shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I'll be coming home soon. What did you need? Is Katrina okay?"

"Yeah she's fine. I want you to come home, so good."

"All right daddy. Love you."

"Love you too Tori." She hung up the phone and looked up into the sky as lightning flashed. Her heart flopped in her chest and her stomach twisted into knots. As she looked back to the front gate, she saw a hooded figure walking towards her. She raised an eyebrow and studied the figure.

It was a woman wearing an obvious cloak. She had long jeans and brown shoes. The woman removed the hood from her head and smiled at her, Tori was surprised to see that it was Jade! Had Jade followed her there? "Hey Jade, what's up?"

"Nothing, I just caught your car by the cemetery and was wondering what you were doing." Jade's eyes drifted towards the grave and Tori looked back, frowning. "So…you're visiting your mom?"

"Yeah. They finally found her body…"

"She ran off with that one guy, didn't she?"

"Yeah." Jade clicked her tongue and shook her head. The woman walked over to the grave, a misty look appeared in her eyes as she ran her hand along the top of the grave. "I wish she were still around. I miss her. Like I missed Trina, but it's not quite the same…"

"Trina came back apparently, but she doesn't want to be with you does she? I guess I can't blame her." Jade's words hurt Tori, but at the same time, they were well accepted. She agreed she was a plague, someone that Trina probably could never forgive for all the misery she'd allowed into her life. "She probably doesn't want to talk to the very person who allowed her friends to destroy her own sister."

"Yeah, I never knew about half the shit you pulled." She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. She was in no way wanting to have this discussion, not now, or any time in the future. Jade chuckled nonchalantly and lifted her shoulders. Tori closed her eyes and exhaled sharply. "Mom should never have left. She didn't know what leaving did to us, all of us."

"She got what she deserved in the end…" Tori's head shot up and her heart stopped. She stared at Jade in disbelief, startled that her friend would have the guts to say something like that about her own mother! Jade turned around and spread out her arms. "All she was…was a cheat who left her family."

"That doesn't mean she _deserved_ to be murdered."

"Well how else would she have learned the wrongdoing of her ways?" Jade turned a very sharp gaze upon Tori. Thunder cracked and Tori took a slight step back, now fearing the lethal look in Jade's eyes. She was about to ask what Jade was talking about, but the sensation inside her was telling her to flee. "I knew your mom, she was…an interesting woman. I'm sorry she's dead, Tori, I really am. I-I didn't think about how her death would affect you, so that's why…that's why I hid her body. I didn't want you to have to go through more trauma. For the first time I actually felt _compassion_ for you…" She scoffed and shook her head. "I felt sorry for you because your sister left, because your mother left."

"J-Jade? What are you saying?"

"I found your mom, I knew she was having an affair and…I guess I got angry." Jade chuckled once again, her lips twisting into a slow smirk. Tori's eyes started to widen and her hand moved over her chest. A lump formed in her throat as Jade took a step forward. "I can't control myself, Tori. Just…the _thought_ that some bitches out there can cheat on their man…then have the _audacity_ to say that _men_ are the fucking problem? Please!"

"Jade…" Tori took another backwards step, nearly stumbling over a tombstone in the process. Her body began shaking as Jade's face darkened. "Jade, stay back. Stay away from me!"

"My mom was sleeping around with_ two men!_ Two fucking men! You know what? She was having sex with them when she accidentally called me! _Both_ of them! I guess that fucked me over pretty badly."

"Oh god…" She cupped her hand over her mouth, whimpering as Jade started to reach into her trench coat. "Please tell me you didn't…"

"So I killed her. I killed her, then drugged Cat so she wouldn't think about it, I forced that husband of yours to keep his mouth shut about those blood stained clothes. I was so angry, I did the only thing I could think of when I killed my mother, I gave her the look associated with the victims in the scissoring. I felt it was best."

"Jade, no. Please…" Tori watched s Jade pulled out a long knife and a pair of wire cutters. They glinted in the moonlight. Her heartbeat started to increase as Jade's menacing grin struck fear into her heart. Tori's foot caught on another tombstone and her body began falling backwards. She let out a loud yelp as her shoulder collided with the ground, falling out of its socket once more. "Ah!"

"After that, I became a crusader for the rights of loyal marriage holders everywhere. My damn husband would play craps or poker at the casino and I'd get bored. So I'd watch these women come to the bar…" Tori's eyes widened as Jade's shadow fell over her. She began shaking her head, pleading for Jade to leave her alone. "These women would take off their wedding rings, then proceed to flirt with every Tom Dick and Joe that walked in that place! My god, I swear to fuck they would screw anything that moved, _just like mother!"_

"Please Jade, I'm not them! I'm not those people! I promise I'm not!"

"Fucking liar! Just like them!" Jade pointed her large wire cutters towards her, laughing maniacally. "You already admitted to your affair, Tori! I never thought we'd be here, I honestly didn't." Tori pulled herself to her feet, whimpering as she watched Jade poke the weapon in the air. "But you know what? I was working on becoming clean. I was actually prepared to start seeing a counselor for my problems, to stop seeing my mom in all of these women…" A wrinkle formed between Jade's eyebrows as she slowly rubbed her right temple. "My kids were a good help for a little bit, but then you just _had_ to tell me you cheated on your fucking husband."

"That's over Jade, we made amends."

"The fuck you did!" Jade swung the knife through the air, slashing it across Tori's arm. She let out a scream and doubled back as Jade tilted her head back and released a violent shriek. Her mind left her long ago, this was clear. "You have to die, Tori! I have to do this!"

"No! I don't want to die!" She turned on her heels and began running, holding her hand over the wound on her arm. Jade let out a menacing growl and started moving for her.

"You said it yourself, you're worthless. Useless. Funny how the tables turned, isn't it? Used to be your sister you said that about, now you say it about yourself."

"Oh god." Tears ran from her eyes as she started scanning the cemetery for hiding places. It wasn't easy, considering the cemetery was mostly a large field full of grass and short graves. She looked over her shoulder to see Jade rushing for her, she had a vile look on her face and was swinging her blades wildly through the air. She thought she heard a gunshot ring out, but it was likely just thunder. "Please Jade, don't! Don't do this! What about Beck? What about Zach and Lauren?"

"I have to do this, Tori! I'm sorry, but you've forced my hand!"

"No!" Tori leapt back in time to avoid being slashed by Jade's knife. With a loud cry, she bolted to the right, running through the graves. It was against her morals to run over graves, disrespectful for the dead, but at this point all she could think of was escape. With Katrina and her father on the forefront of her mind, along with Trina, she knew she had to live.

In the distance was the fence that she could possibly climb to get away from Jade. Maybe she could use that to her advantage. "Don't think you're going to get away, Tori. You're the mouse, I'm the cat." Jade screamed out and Tori whimpered, her heart was pounding and her body ached as adrenaline stabbed her. "I've been clean for at least a fucking year! I didn't need this, Tori! You were the last person I wanted to kill."

"You've gone insane!"

"No fucking shit!" Tori leapt behind a tree, grasping the edges and breathing heavily. She clenched her eyes shut, fighting the urge to collapse. She began hyperventilating, much to her disdain. She looked around the right of the tree, whimpering as she scanned the area for Jade. When she returned, she saw Jade standing to her left, holding the wire cutters in front of her face. She screamed out as Jade snipped the air. She turned to run just as Jade swung the knife, screaming as it slashed through her back. Tori nearly collapsed from the searing pain, but pushed forward, screaming as Jade slashed at her again, but missed. "You're not making this easy on me, Tori."

"Oh god! Please no…"

Tori managed to reach the fence, but was disheartened to find no way to climb up the stone. She fell to her knees, letting her tears burn her cheeks. She turned her head over her shoulder, screaming when she saw Jade rushing for her, her mouth open in a wide and malicious grin.

"Join your mother in hell, Tori! You and those other bitches!" Tori fell backwards on the ground as Jade lunged over her. She let out a scream and lifted her hands up, grabbing Jade's wrists as the woman landed on top of her. When she opened her eyes, she saw the tip of the knife hovering inches from her face.

"Why are you doing this? I thought…I thought you were good!"

"You thought _wrong!_ Though, I am good, or at least, I'm better than the whores who fuck anything but their husbands!"

"I'm not like that! I swear it!"

"How appropriate of you to die here in a cemetery? I've never killed anyone here. I guess if your mother had to be reburied, it's fitting for you to die where she did."

"Leave me alone!" Tori tried to push her off, but her weaker arm was beginning to feel as though it was to fall off her body at any second.

"I promise to make this swift. Don't worry, I'm doing you a _favor_." Tori's eyes widened and with a burst of adrenaline, she shoved Jade off of her. She flipped over and started crawling away. Then a sudden slicing pain struck her right leg. The smell of blood hit her nostril as pain shot like electricity through her body. She howled out and collapsed on the ground, looking back to see the knife slicing into the side of her let, stabbing through her jeans. Jade breathed out a growl and pulled the knife back. "Quit trying to run and this will go faster for you. Keep running and I'll cut your entire ring finger off and shove it down that pretty throat of yours."

"No!" She flipped onto her back, holding her arms over her face as Jade slashed at her. Fortunately the slash only hit the fleshy part of her arm rather than her face, but she knew she wouldn't be so lucky at the next strike.

She clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the embrace of death to come, but it never came. Another blast of thunder echoed through the air, but oddly it had a faint odor of smoke. She opened her eyes to see Jade staring at her with wide eyes, stuttering as she firmly gripped the handle of her knife.

"J-Jade?" A trickle of blood began running like a river down the right side of Jade's neck. Shocked, and still frightened, Tori slid back a bit and wincing at her own wounds. She gasped as Jade began moving forward, but the woman collapsed beside her onto her own knife. When Tori looked at whoever attacked her, she saw Trina panting and holding a gun.

"Coming to LA...I didn't think I'd be saving you," Trina said while taking a deep breath. Relief swept over Tori and a quiet sob left her lips as Trina rushed to her side. DB and Marshall came running up behind her. Trina put her hand to Tori's back and looked at her leg. "Crap. Marshall, DB, call the paramedics! We need people on this scene, _now!"_

"T-Trina, Jade…Jade killed them…she killed them all…"

"I know, Tori. Just relax, you're safe now…"

"How did you…how did you know-"

"Just some last minute investigation. Dad told me you were gone, and Jade was gone, the rest I pieced together." Trina took off her shirt and used it to suppress some bleeding coming from Tori's leg.

She didn't care about the blood at all, though, she was just glad to be alive. Tori closed her eyes and started to smile, she was entrusting her life to Trina and the paramedics. Although, she was still afraid Trina would leave to Vegas now, since the serial killer case was over.

No. She had to talk to her. She had to find a way to get Trina to forgive her, to trust her again. She knew it would take work, but she was more than willing to work on it.

* * *

An intense chapter, tell me your thoughts my friends


	32. Trina's Decision, and Tori's Choice

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 32 (Trina's Decision, Tori's Choice)

Trina stood leaning up against the door beside the ER operating room, jotting her notes down on a pad. DB was a few feet away, he had to call Charlie. Marshall was busy notifying both Tori's dad and Jade's husband. She knew Beck wasn't going to be in good condition after hearing about his wife, both her death and what she'd been up to in the last twenty years. If he never knew about it, that was, she didn't have any idea if he knew or not.

She'd had this misfortune before, it was easy to tell next of kin that your relative had been murdered compared to telling them that their relative _was_ the murderer. _"Maybe I should call on the powers of Sherlock Holmes for advice?" _She smirked, proud of the mental joke. She likened herself to a modern day Holmes, and DB her Watson, but she was nowhere _near_ his caliber. Holmes, Bond, whatever the case, the cliché was the hero always saved the girl. Was it not?

Trina turned her head to the operating room door and chuckled inwardly and shook her head despairingly. _"Great. I 'rescued the dame'…"_ She did find amusement in possibly picturing herself in one of those old classy private detective movies, but when she would even think of fantasizing about those, she had to bring herself back to reality. So of course, that's what she would do. _"…Who happens to be the sister I left twenty years ago…lovely."_

"Momma!" Megan's voice was like honey to her ears in this sour time, she looked to the entrance of the hospital corridor and smiled as she saw Megan rushing for her. Following after were Charlie and Joshua. Charlie was holding Joshua in his right arm and looking at Trina with a concerned expression, he seemed to be considerably frightened for her safety, which made plenty of sense. Megan hugged her waist and looked up, "Grandpa said you got the bad guy. Did you get the bad guy, Momma? Is Aunt Tori going to be okay?"

"Yes and yes." She knelt down and tucked a finger beneath Megan's chin, smiling happily into her daughter's eyes. "Everything is fine now."

"Good. I was so afraid when Daddy said we had to come see you at the hospital! When you didn't come to the hotel a few hours ago, we were really worried!"

"I know baby, and I'm sorry for worrying you." Next came Joshua, throwing his arms tightly around her. After the children were done hugging, she stood up and gave her husband a smile as he met her eyes. "We can go home now, sweetheart. The case is over, for the most part."

He hugged her and gave her a quick peck on the lips before grooming her hair back. "I'm glad, I know it was stressing you out…" More even now that it was done, she knew how hard it was going to be to tell various people what happened. "What's going to happen next though?"

"Well, Jade's husband has to be questioned to see if he knew about anything. The press is already going to build on his wife being a killer…" The media just _couldn't_ leave anything alone. The minute it goes public about Jade, everyone was going to associate her and Beck Oliver. "For his sake, I hope he knows nothing about it, but that's almost never a promise. Even knowing about it is enough for him to be charged for accessory or even accomplice. Andre might be charged too…he never reported suspicious behavior to the authorities…"

"What about Cat?"

"Not sure…I don't know that she _knew _what Jade was doing, but she is in trouble with narcotics right now." She looked to the ER door and took a deep breath. "Now I just have to tell Tori the bad news." Bad news? Every one of Tori's former friends was under scrutiny for one thing or another. Good news? There wasn't much. "There is one glimmer of something, that may be good for her, I guess…"

"What's that?" She wasn't too sure herself, but something about this case struck a deep emotional chord within herself. The rush she felt when her baby sister was in danger, the fear and the adrenaline in racing to save Tori's life affected her in a way she didn't think was actually possible after all these years. The same was said for the anger she felt towards Andre's alcoholism and abusive ways towards Tori.

Then there was the little girl, Katrina. She didn't get to know her niece, and already she loved her. For Tori, she still loved her, still cared about her. For her father, of course she loved her dad, and her heart broke for him to have to hear his wife had been dead all these years.

Trina had plenty of time to think, and she knew all the hurt she'd suffered, all the pain she felt from grudges held ages ago, it was still going to hold a strong presence. However, was it worth tearing herself away from her sister and father? Was it worth never letting her father see his grandchildren? Not to mention, going back home to Vegas would mean leaving Tori to Andre. However, she was _not_ able to stay in LA, that meant Tori would have to move to Vegas with them.

When the thought of asking Tori to move to Vegas had been the part that stunned her. She closed her eyes and lifted her shoulders. "I've decided to work on things with my father and sister. It may take a little counseling, a little effort, but I'm willing to try, I suppose." All movement ceased and everyone gawked at her with surprise. Annoyed, she flipped her hair back and averted their gaze with a slight scoff. "What? I've been doing some thinking…Some conditions are going to have to be met, but still…"

"Are you serious?" Joshua asked, his eyes giving in to the glimmer of hope in his eyes. "You mean maybe we can have Aunt Tori as a part of the family?"

"Well, I…I mean-"

"I'm all for it," Charlie replied with a grin, "I think it's appropriate. The kids love their aunt, cousin, and grandfather. Though, working on a relationship with your sister…"

The door opened and a nurse stepped out, the woman looked to Trina and gave her a subtle nod, "Mrs. Harris is awake." She nodded in return and took a deep breath.

"I'm going to talk to her." She could feel her heart pounding as she made her way into the room. Tori was sitting upright in her bed, the pillow fluffed beneath her. The sheet was pulled up her chest and her bandaged arms rested over it. She looked up to Trina with sad eyes, struggling to smile it seemed without tearing up. Trina sat on the right side edge of the bed and reached over, gently tucking away a strand of Tori's hair from her face. "Hey baby sis…"

"I-Is Jade-"

"She won't be hurting anyone again…" Trina pulled her hand away and Tori bowed her head, choking back a sob. "I'm sorry, Tori."

"I really screwed up, didn't I, Trina? I drove you away, I drove everyone away, and I…I trusted a killer." Trina flattened her lips and lifted her shoulders.

"I don't think she was a killer at first. What her mom did made her snap, I think. Every year after that, she was just getting crazier." Tori clenched her eyes shut and began to tremble, letting out a whimper. Trina put her hand to Tori's wrist, patting it gently, causing Tori to open her eyes and look up to her gaze. "Hey kid, what's the prob." She gave her sister a reassuring smile as she said the line she used to say when they were young, before Hollywood Arts. It was always the quote she used to get Tori to talk to her.

"What's going to happen to everyone? I know you're going to have some bad news for me, aren't you?"

"Unfortunately it comes with the territory." The door flew open and Trina glanced over, still wanting privacy. Entering, however, was their father and Katrina. She was okay with this. David ran to his daughters and hugged them both, Tori winced as his hand brushed over the wound on her back. Katrina stood at the bedside, holding onto her mother's hand. "Careful Dad, she's pretty cut up." David stepped back, shifting his worried gaze to his youngest.

"I'm just glad you're safe, Tori. Both of you."

"Trina saved me," Tori pointed over to her elder sister and started to smile. "She came for me…" Trina closed her eyes and chuckled, her heart pounded against her chest. She tapped her fingers lightly on the hospital mattress, amused by how soft it felt. "Trina, if you say 'all in a day's work', can I smack you?"

"I don't recommend it." She rose from the bed and exhaled as her mind flashed to chasing after Jade and Tori in the dark, she wasn't going to be able to forget that for a while. All the years of torment, all the hate that spewed from Jade's mouth, as well as the others, back in the Hollywood Arts days may have just died with Jade. She felt stronger now, more ready to face her past than she'd been up to this point. "So here's the specifics, Tori. Dad. Jade…won't be able to hurt anyone again. Cat is under investigation by the LAPD narcotics team. I'm going to have to break the news to Mr. Oliver. Then there's the matter of Andre, so…a whole bunch of bad news."

"They weren't always this bad."

"Twenty years ago, I was almost assaulted by one of the four guys they hired to date and dump me." Tori let out a shuddering whimper and David tensed angrily. "That's the thing that triggered me to leave. It's hard to hear, and it was the thing keeping me from coming back here…"

"You know I never-"

"Yes. I know."

"I know you don't want to hear it, Trina, but I wish you would." Trina raised an eyebrow at her, watching as her sister balled up her hands and pouted. "I love you, I miss you. You're Daddy's favorite, though he won't admit to it." She moved her hand to her heart, clearing her throat as her sister's rant continued. "I_ know_ it would take a while of work and all. I know you got everything you wanted out of life, but _I_ didn't. I have a hole in my heart where you should be…_I love and miss you_."

"Tori."

"What?"

"Let me talk…" Tori frowned and looked away to her daughter, slowly moving her hand behind the young girl's head. Katrina kissed her mom's bandaged arm. Trina smiled at the sight, thinking of her own children. As she opened her mouth, a heaviness descended upon her. How this be so difficult for her? "Some conditions need to be met obviously, but I…I've decided I want to work on my relationship with you." Tori gasped out and David looked over, his eyes wide and his mouth in a surprised smile.

"Do you mean that, Sis?"

"Yes, hard as it is for me to admit. I've done some thinking, and well, that's what I concluded with. It'll take some time, given it _has_ been about twenty years. I don't know if we'll ever be 'close' again or not, at least not like we were _before_ you went off to Hollywood Arts. We can try. The crap that happened between us, though, shouldn't affect the little ones." She pointed to Katrina, who blushed upon recognition. Tori smiled down at her daughter, running her hand through the child's hair. "My children love to see you and your daughter, and of course, they love their 'Granddad Vega's' stories." David burst with pride and flicked his eyes towards the door. "So yes, I'd feel comfortable trying to work on things. If not just for you, for our kids."

"Trina I-Is it okay if I give you a hug?"

"You're wounded." Tori dipped her eyes down. Trina studied her, slowly feeling guiltier with each passing second. She gave an exasperated sigh and reached over, gently hugging her sister, being careful not to touch her wounds.

Tori hugged her back, holding onto her and weeping softly on her shoulder. A warmth filled her soul, when she thought she'd feel uneasy over the touch. It was a shock to her. She slowly pulled away, somehow remembering better times. The kicker was simply the past was the past, now was the time to focus on the present and future.

"I'll be willing to move on with the past, twenty years is a long time to hold a grudge…" Though there _was_ some satisfaction that she put away half of that infernal group that tore two sisters apart, whether they meant to or not. "But like I said, there are some conditions that have to be met first. I'm not one to ask you to move states, but-"

"I'll do it!" She did a double take and the other two in the room shot Tori baffled looks. Trina folded her arms and tilted her head, confused by her sister's eagerness. Tori paused and looked towards her father and daughter. "It's not like we have lives here…and Trina's got a life in Vegas. A _promotion_ on the way, right Tri?"

"Yeah. Head detective, no way I'm turning that down…"

"Megan has friends too," Katrina stated simply, "She was talking about how she and Joshua were going to spend the summer playing with those friends." It seemed clear that they didn't want to tear Trina or Megan away from their lives and Vegas, but she'd been stunned to see Tori so ready to just jump and say she'd move. "But Momma, what about Hollywood Arts? You still teach there."

"I don't _care_ about Hollywood Arts," Tori declared. Trina flexed her right hand, wishing she had a cup of coffee. She was steadily growing more exhausted by the minute. "Trina, if being with you means moving to Las Vegas, I will do it." Determined tears welled up in Tori's eyes as she clenched her hands and looked up. "I just want to be close to you…"

"And you can be. I mean, it'll take some time yes, but…"

"What conditions are there? That I move to Vegas, what else?"

"Well, there is the issue of Andre. I do not want him around my children, and I certainly don't want him around you if he's going to be drunk off his rocker-"

"I'm already seeing a lawyer about that. I…went to a lawyer a few days ago who told me I could start filing. There's also a strong chance of me having custody of Katrina."

"All right then." She groomed back Tori's hair and exhaled, "You need to get some rest. Be with Dad and Katrina. I need to get my children to bed, they'll all be by tomorrow I'm sure." Tori began to smile and lifted her hand up, holding on to Trina's.

"T-Thank you, Trina…For giving me a chance…"

"Well. We _are_ still sisters whichever way you look at it. Now, tomorrow I'm going to have to talk to Beck, so…wish me luck."

"Okay Trina. Goodnight?"

"Goodnight."

With a gentle squeeze of Tori's hand, Trina turned and left the room. Tears welled up in her eyes as all the emotions that had been bottled up inside crashed out of her. She pressed her back against the wall next to the door, exhaling heavily and sinking to the ground. She moved her head to her forehead, letting out a sob as her body trembled and old memories came rushing back to her.

This wasn't easy, there was no way to get over all of this pain. At least, it didn't seem that way. She felt two pairs of tiny arms around her neck and looked up in time to see Megan and Joshua hugging her close. In front of her, DB and Charlie stood side by side, gazing down at her with proud expressions. Of course, they would understand how painful all of this was for her.

"You're moving forward," DB stated, "and it's going to be okay. You got this, we're all behind you and beside you."

"Yeah…" Jade's crazed expression terrorized her, seeing her sister so close to death never was something she thought she'd have to see. Never did she suffer anything so traumatic, which was almost unbelievable for her. "Maybe, maybe you're right…maybe things will be all right…"

Megan tightened her hug around Trina's neck, beaming with a smile, "They will, Momma. We love you."

"Love you too, baby…"

* * *

Got a couple more chapters to go. This one was definitely an emotional one, so let me know what you thought of everything. It's good that they'll be able to work on their relationship, now the next chapter will be notifications of next of kin.


	33. Loss of a Wife, and Loss of a Life

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 33 (Loss of a Wife, Loss of a Life)

Trina lifted her hand to Beck's door, knocking gently. She turned to Marshall, he was here in place of DB, who was with the family visiting Tori in the hospital. "How are we going to break this, Marshall? I've never had to notify someone their wife was a serial killer."

"Well, as you know, this job brings bout all sorts of surprises."

"Yeah. Tell me about it." The door opened and the disheveled actor's face appeared in the darkness of the living room. He had never been contacted, as Marshall attempted last night, Beck never answered. Likely the press didn't have anything yet, but Trina was going to have to talk to the press soon, as she was technically the lead investigator here. "Mr. Oliver, may we come in?"

"Sure officers, but Jade never came back home last night…" His eyes glanced over to Jade's. Her heart sank a bit. She wanted to not care, but compassion came with this job for good reason. Jade was, however, her link to Tori's friends. With Jade's death, came the death of all the torments, the death of the past. "Or is it her you want to talk about?"

"Yes." He guided them inside. As they sat on the couch, he asked to get them anything to drink. "No thank you." He took a seat in the recliner and glanced to the right as his children ran from a stairwell and into the kitchen. Trina and Marshall both watched sorely as the children ran off. She knew Beck would have to be the ones to tell them. Once the press got wind of his wife's involvement, things were not going to be easy at all for them. "Mr. Oliver, I hope you intend to sit those kids down and talk with them after this…"

"Why? What's going on? Is Jade okay?" Trina slowly shook her head and Beck began to pale.

"Mrs. Oliver was shot at the fallen angel's cemetery while trying to attack her next victim." His eyes flew open and his jaw hung. She reached over, patting his shoulder and gazing mournfully into his eyes. "I'm sorry to say this, Jade was declared dead at the scene."

"No!" His hand flew over his mouth and his eyes clenched shut, tears burst from his eyes and Trina's hand moved away from him. Her heart went out to him, but she had to admit, this was the easy part. "I don't believe you…but why would you lie…"

"I know it's hard, and the truth of the matter doesn't make it any easier. It was confirmed by way of confession to a would-be victim last night that she was the serial killer we were seeking." With that, the man froze, even his muscles remained unmoving. His eyes gazed numbly past her. "She is tied to each of the victims found in Las Vegas around _El Salón Rojo_. The bartenders identified her from a lineup of photos shown to them as having been the person talking and leaving with each victim."

It happened this morning, her team members in Las Vegas questioned each bartender that gave statements associating them with being on shift the nights of the murders. There were only three bartenders, and each confirmed Jade's photo. "N-No…god no…" Beck moved his heavy hands to his face, weeping softly. For the first time in her lifetime, she'd seen the mountain, the level-headed one, break.

"I'm sorry Beck."

"C-Can you tell me who she was after last night?"

"For safety of the witness, I cannot." Standard protocol. Even though he knew Tori, even though she was connected as Trina's sister, neither of those were reasons that she would not tell Beck the name of the victim. While protecting her _was_ a reason, it would be breaking a serious rule if she told Beck. There was always dangers of throwing a witness into danger if a suspect or suspect's relative knew the name of the witness. "Standard procedure, you understand?"

"I do…" He whimpered once and slowly lowered his hand, "I-How could I…I missed all of that?" She raised an eyebrow as a genuine fear and sorrow flashed past his eyes. "How was I so clueless?! Jade _never_ told me anything." He pounded his fist on the sofa, tears were dripping into his mouth and his face was hot with anger and depression. She derived from this that it was possible he truly knew nothing of Jade's antics.

"In fifteen years, did Jade ever give you any notion that she'd killed these people? Or any notion that she took her mother's and Mrs. Vega's lives?" Beck lifted his head from his hands and shook his head, he seemed surprised that she'd even ask that.

"What am I supposed to do, Trina? My wife…My _life_ is…"

"Be strong." She gestured for him to stand. He did so and she stepped forward, giving him a friendly and encouraging hug, then pat him on the back as he whimpered softly. "Your children are going to need a strong father, Beck." She stepped back and looked to Marshall, who rose up, figuring it was about time to leave. "You're a famous actor, we won't be able to protect you or your family from the media and paparazzi…"

"What do you mean?"

"It'd be hard to do. All we can do is tell the media that the serial killer won't be a problem anymore, but there's never any promise that her name won't be found out. Not to mention your fans will likely take notice that your wife is gone."

"I see your point…"

"It's going to be hard on your children, even harder because they'll have that label hanging over their heads growing up. Be a strong father to them, let them know they're loved and cared for." She handed him a card from her pocket and glanced down at it. "There are two names on this card. One is a grief counselor, a great one in LA, see her. Have your children see her. The other is Gambler's Anonymous. Go to them, your children need you. They are your primary goal now, your life. No more trips to Vegas, please." He nodded slowly, gazing down at the card for several seconds.

"I've been living with a serial killer…for twenty years…" He sank back into the recliner and gazed down at the floor. Silently, Trina pat Beck's shoulder and motioned at Marshall to the door. This wasn't the last she had to deal with, but it was the hardest. She hoped for the kids' sake that their father would be able to pull himself together.

At the jail, she decided first to speak with Cat, they were in a room with her son, Lance. She was sitting straight across from Cat, holding onto her hands as the woman wept. "Jade's _dead!"_ Cat screamed it at the top of her wailing lungs. At first, Trina thought it would have been a comfort to her, but then she had to realize that Jade had still been one of Cat's closest friends. "She couldn't-she didn't-she didn't mean to hurt those people…"

"I'm sorry, Cat."

"No! Don't you understand? They're indicting me, Trina. Eight years for all the drug possession, who am I going to talk to if not Jade? Then Robbie…Robbie's gone…Tori? Oh wait, you just told me she's moving to Vegas with you…"

"I know." Cat clenched her eyes shut, her body trembling. Cat's head fell onto her arms and Lance reached over, rubbing her back.

"I've been clean all this time, and for _what!"_ The good news was many people went in for drug possession these days for _ten_ years, not eight, and most got out within four or five years. "I pushed Robbie away because I didn't want him caught up in Jade's controlling behaviors. I didn't…I didn't…How was I supposed to know what would happen to him?!"

"You didn't, Cat. You couldn't have known, no one could have."

"What did you do to the person that did it?" Cat lifted her puffy red cheeks and leaned forward, gazing into Trina's eyes. "Y-You know, I _did_ love him. I cared for him so much…to think I'll never see him again…because I pushed him away."

"His killer's in jail now, it was a quick trial. The killer got twenty five years." Cat scoffed and turned away, folding her arms over.

"Some prison sentence. Look at me, it's been twenty years. Look at your sister, she's been imprisoned for twenty! She's been trapped with an angry alcoholic for all these years, and you know what? Andre's grandma?"Cat smacked her palms on the table and Trina raised an eyebrow, her heart began to race as Cat angrily narrowed his eyes. "Andre would hit her too when drunk, and he caused her to have a heart attack. You know why? Because Jade told him how to do it! There, I said it, he's not a good person to be around Tori."

She was shocked to hear the news, her gaze turned to the observation window and her heart filled with anger and concern. Was it true? Had Andre in fact forced his grandmother's death? This was something that Marshall would have to investigate. It was out of her jurisdiction, unrelated to the serial killer case, and thus, she could not investigate it. She shook her head quickly and looked back to Cat, breathing in deeply.

"All right Cat. Well, Andre won't be able to do anything to Tori, he's already in trouble regarding his drunken behavior from prior times. To top it off, he didn't report Mrs. Vega's death eighteen years ago, and that alone is bad for him. Tori will be safe from here on out, I can promise that. How about Lance?" She looked to the man and he slowly shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm hoping to find my half brothers," Lance admitted, "I want to see them."

"That would be good. They are in Texas."

The final person she had to notify was Andre. He didn't take well to the news, but then, none of them did. However, he was the easiest because he didn't need any consoling. He sat across the table, his arms crossed and his eyes glaring at the wall. "I was served divorce papers already," Andre muttered. "How could Tori have gotten those so quickly?"

"Must be a pretty good lawyer."

"I'm going to jail…losing my wife, and likely my daughter too, and Tori?"

"Will be coming to live with me until she gets on her feet."

"And where are you staying?"

"Can't tell you that, Andre." Andre rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I'm glad she's safe, and I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused her. I _did_ care about her, Trina. I _did_ love her."

"I'm sure you did, maybe at one point of time." Trina leaned back in her chair and sighed as Andre buried his face into his hands. It wasn't easy for him, she knew, but a part of her didn't care. That was a major part of her, though, primarily because he _did_ hurt her family. "You'll have plenty of time to think about that, and other things. A restraining order _is_ being issued, and _I_ also don't want you anywhere near my family."

"Look, I'm sorry what happened to your husband. I am. I didn't-"

"Save it, Harris. It's done, over. Life goes on. You screwed up, and now you have to suffer the consequences, as everyone will."

"I'm not completely heartless, Trina. I do hope the best for Tori, for Katrina, and I hope their lives will be good…it's just…I don't know."

"Well, if you ever get out of prison, first step I suggest is Alcoholic's Anonymous. It might be good for you. Goodbye." She pushed herself from the table and Andre looked up to her, his eyes full of a deep sadness.

"Trina?" Trina closed her eyes and turned coldly from him. She had other things to do now, and talking to Andre was not one of them.

"Goodbye, Andre."

* * *

There it is, there is one more chapter left. Tell me what you thought of this particular chapter. Trina may have been cold with Andre, but it was probably well warranted. Tell me your thoughts on the three friends remaining, think they'll be all right in time?


	34. To be Needed

Trina's Return

Disclaimer: Do not own Victorious or CSI

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 34 (To Be Needed)

"So I'm just making sure…are you _sure_ about all of this?" Trina was sitting with Tori in her sister's living room with David at the recliner. Megan, Joshua and Katrina were sitting in the living room on the rug as DB sat in front of them, reading them a story. Charlie was beside Trina, his arm around her shoulders. He was letting the sisters chat, knowing it was best not to get in the middle of them. "I can look around for a small apartment around Vegas if you'd like me to, but only if you're truly willing to put an effort on working on this…relationship…"

"Mhm." Tori nodded, her gaze full of determination and sincerity. "I am if you are. You don't know how bad things have been for me the last twenty years, I've missed you so much, Trina." Trina inhaled slowly and smiled as Tori swept away an oncoming tear. "I don't know what I'd do with myself if you never came back in my life. I mean…just seeing you, seeing your children…it made me stronger, made me realize what I needed. Trina, you, your children…that's the reason I went to the lawyer, the reason I filed for divorce from Andre." For some reason, those words meant a lot to her, to know that _she_ was the reason for Tori's 'strength'. That Tori needed her in her life. She was needed again, after all these years, she was _needed_, and Tori was letting her know. Tori shook her head and closed her eyes, "I can't be without you again, Trina. I just can't, I'm not strong enough…"

"You are strong, you just have to find that strength."

"Trina." Her sister shot a skeptical look her direction and folded her arms, "I almost fell into that bad crowd again. Because I mixed with my old friends again, I almost _died! _The whole thing was a setup for Jade to kill me, and you know it." Tori put her hand to her chest. Her hair flew over her face as she turned fully towards her, despair and concern swept across her as her voice rose just a bit. "You saved me, you came back in my life and you saved me. So maybe you didn't try to, so maybe you weren't planning on seeing me ever again, but you did. There has to be a reason for that. Fate, destiny, work of God, whatever you want to call it…_I _made a mistake twenty years ago, I was stupid and naïve, I didn't see what was going on, and I paid the price for it. I don't want to pay it anymore. I've been a prisoner for twenty years, don't you see? Cheesy as it is…you're holding the key to my freedom…"

A smirk played at Trina's lips and her eyes slid down as a chuckle fell from her breath, "You're right. That is cheesy. You're right though, we're sisters, and we will always be sisters no matter what. I left to start my own life, to get away from all that pain…never thought I'd be back here…the most I was expecting was seeing Robbie…"

"Yeah." Mournful tears formed in Tori's eyes, she still hadn't taken it very easily that Robbie was gone. She was happy that he stood up for Trina when the others didn't, and she thought maybe he'd achieve freedom. Trina could see that in her eyes when she informed her, the news of his death crushed her. Not that there was much left to crush her. "I just…I can't believe how _stupid_ I was, Trina. I know you won't forgive me right away, I know I screwed up. Then even Andre himself told me to stay away from the others, along with Dad telling me, and I didn't listen…I fell right back in their trap. I was so _stupid!"_

Trina studied the sadness in her sister's eyes and the guilt that laced her tone. Her own heart broke to see the despair over the realization of what her friends had done. She fought over telling Tori all that, to be honest, but in the end it was necessary. Taking a deep breath, she decided to put away the torments she suffered from them. It was over, there was no longer any reason to harbor her resentments for those people now. "They weren't all bad, Tori. Don't be angry at them, there is no use in it…I know it's silly coming from me, but to be honest…even I have to admit that despite _all_ their faults, they had some good qualities even in the end." Tori scoffed and turned away, brushing her hand in the air.

"Like what? What can _possibly_ be good about people who deceived me, hurt my sister and lied about it?"

That was something she'd struggled with herself for a long time, and it was rather distressing to see the shape they wound up in all these years later. What with Andre's alcoholism, Cat's drug addiction, Beck's Gambling, Robbie's adultery, and even Jade's having gone insane. What could _possibly_ be said of them that was _good?_

She saw it now, when she looked into the eyes of every one of them. With the exception of Jade who lost her heart and soul, the friends each still _had_ a heart. "Cat ran Robbie off to protect him, she didn't want him to be influenced by Jade. She wanted her son to see her half-brothers. Robbie, in his last moments, was trying to make things right by cutting off the affair he had. Beck's going to get help for his gambling, and knows he needs to be there for his children now. Then there's Andre, I see he's accepted that it's over, he said to me he wishes you and Katrina the best. I feel sorry for Jade really, she lost herself with what happened to her mom."

"Yeah…" They looked to the children. The kids were laughing at something DB was saying. Trina smiled at the sight. She listened as Tori's voice quieted, "Do you think there's any hope for _us_ Trina? Any hope at all?"

"Maybe…I mean, I'm not going to lie, it's going to be hard." She glanced to her sister, a sad smile spread across her face as the sunlight reflected through the windows on Tori's tear stained face. "But I'm willing to work on it. Twenty years is a long time to hold a grudge, and now's as good a time as any to _try_ and fix what's broken."

DB once told her long ago, anything that's broken can be fixed with the right kind of tools. Sure there would still be cracks, stains, marks that show where pieces had been chipped off, but it only gave an item character. Sometimes, using a really strong bonding substance could give the formerly broken item a stronger foundation, making it harder to shatter.

"How are we going to do this, Trina? I'm scared…I really am…I'm scared of losing you again."

"You won't. Not this time around. You know, Megan's teacher is a guidance counselor on the side. Now that school is out for the summer, maybe you and I could give the woman a call and see if she'd like to schedule an appointment for us." Tori's face lit up with hope and the others glanced over. DB and David seemed proud of this development. "In fact, if you'd like, I can call her right now. Since we'll be leaving to Vegas in a week." It had already been a week since everything happened, and of course, Trina was willing to wait another week to help look up apartments online for Tori. There were other reasons she was still there too, she hadn't gotten into it yet, however.

DB already put in his application for retirement, as well as CSI Finlay, Nick Stokes, and Sara Sidle. Trina was already getting her promotion and would officially be the head of the crime lab the next she stepped into that building. Of course, she'd have to stay behind the desk for a while, and there was a good reason for that. Her boss was being lenient in this case.

"You think you can? Please?"

"Would it make you feel better if I did?"

"Yes…I want to make an effort and I want to know you think it's a possibility."

"I do. Besides, my children should be able to see their aunt, and I'd love to spend time with my niece." She pulled out her cell phone and started searching through the contacts. "To be honest, I _have_ missed you and Dad…this is a big step for me, you know…a year ago I probably would have said no to you. Hell, before all of this _mess_, I probably would have said no."

"Huh…" Tori scoffed slightly and bowed her head, "Guess I have my 'friends' to thank for that, then…"

"Yeah. Tori, do yourself a favor and trust me on this…don't hold a grudge over them. They're a part of the past now…leave it at that…"

"I'll try."

"Okay." She dialed the number of Megan's teacher and started to smile when she heard the woman's voice over the phone, inquiring about her calling. "Hey, I wanted to know if you're willing to do a counseling session for me and, well, my sister…" The woman was stunned that she mentioned her sister, but stated that she was proud of Trina making that step and would be more than happy to make an appointment for them. Trina exhaled and quickly nodded her head, "Great. So we'll be moving her into an apartment next week or the week after. So any time after that would be great. There's a lot to discuss…"

In the corner of her eye, she could see the joy spreading over Tori's face. It was a euphoric sight, and it definitely cemented for Trina that she was doing the right thing. As she discussed the appointment, David flicked on the news for a brief moment. She frowned at the headlines. Beck Oliver was going into early retirement as far as his acting career goes. He was leaving the acting business to take care of his children, and with all the allegations and even _threats_ due to his wife, he was going to be leaving. Rumors were he'd be moving to Canada with his children, or even Europe, he wasn't saying where.

Her heart still went out to him and to his kids, but at the same time, he was proud of him. Of all the friends, perhaps he was the most innocent. Robbie, Cat, and Beck perhaps had the least involvement in all the shit that went down. Whether twenty years ago, or in today's time.

Trina felt someone hugging her and glanced over to her sister. Tori had her arms around tight around her and was resting her head on her shoulder. She felt her heart skip a beat and smiled at the sight. After the phone call, she put the phone away and gently rubbed her sister's back. "Trina, I'm so happy for your promotion and everything. I want you to know that. I'm glad you had a great life up to this point. I don't want to be a burden though."

"You won't be. Besides…you need me and I need you. My children need their aunt, and well…" She moved a hand to her stomach and let out a small sigh. All the nausea she'd been feeling, the strange appetite she had that scared Marshall, she hardly even needed to take a test to know where it led. "My third is going to need their aunt too."

"What?" Tori lifted her head up and the kids looked over with wide eyes. Charlie and the kids really already knew, but the children were still surprised. She was pregnant, and she was doing her best to reassure her children that it didn't mean she would love them any less. "You mean you're having another baby?" David's grin stretched from ear to ear while Tori continued to process the news.

"Yeah, that's what that means. You and Dad will be in this one's life. You'll be in all of our lives, a part of this family. Know how much trust I'm putting on you, trusting you to be a part of us…I love you Tori, you're my baby sister, I have always loved you and always will."

"I _promise_ I won't take that for granted, Trina!" Tori hugged her again, squeezing gently as more tears rushed from her eyes, "I love you so much. I love your family and I am so glad you're giving me another chance…"

"I think you've earned it. Besides, like you said…" She smirked playfully and tilted her head, "I'm the key holder, right?" Tori blushed as the others laughed, all teasing Tori still with her choice of words.

"Yeah, yeah…whatever…"

"Don't worry Tori. You and I, we'll be okay…we will. I'm sure of it, just give it time. Everything heals, but in the end we'll always be sisters. So yes, I think we'll be okay." Tori snuggled closer, not at all embarrassed to be a grown woman cuddling close with her also grown sister. She earned this moment, and she knew it.

Besides, to Trina, this moment felt extremely good. The warmth that was inside of her, the connection from beginning anew, she didn't think it would be this way. Sure it would be a long road, but she felt for the first time that it would be worth it. Maybe this sisterhood could be repairable, and if so, maybe they could all be happy again. Fate? Destiny? Perhaps the one good thing about the serial case was showing Trina, that she was the one who needed Tori, to clear that emptiness once and for all in both of their lives. Tori said of her return that she 'saved' her, but could it have been that her return had made the opposite possible? Did they, in a way, rescue each other? She wasn't going to waste her time pondering it, but would just be grateful to have her sister in her life after all these years, _needing_ her and recovering from whatever wounds there were.

They could get through this. Together, and as a family.

* * *

That's it, the final chapter of this tale. It's been a great run, and I appreciate everyone who has been along for the ride ^_^. Now, this is the end, _unless_ any of you would like me to write a final epilogue type chapter analyzing how everyone's coped over time. Other than that, this is the end. Let me know what you thought of it, I'm glad to have written something to be enjoyed.


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